Rachel Hunter-Goldman.
Rachel Hunter-Goldman, 31
Director at KKR
Starting a new role during a global pandemic must have been an interesting experience, to say the least. But Rachel Hunter-Goldman had zero hesitancy about her move to KKR in April.
“The Hudson Yards office is open, and I’m able to come here in person, which definitely helped the transition,” she said. “But I also knew a lot of members of my team beforehand, so I knew it would be a good cultural fit out of the gate.”
More broadly, Hunter-Goldman was drawn to KKR as “a dynamic, fast-growing real estate team where I’d have the opportunity to not only originate loans, but also play a role in building out the team and figuring out the best processes for us. I really enjoy that side job.”
She is the first person in her family to work in real estate — or finance for that matter.
“I got into it by accident is the true story,” she said. “I was working in Morgan Stanley’s commodities trading group as my summer internship, and I learned about the real estate team. I thought it sounded super interesting, was able to switch into that role and fell in love.”
“Real estate encompasses so many different aspects,” she added. “There’s finance, certainly, but you have to know what’s going on in the retail industry, the life sciences industry and so many others. You get to have a diverse perspective on what’s going on in the world. Real estate also has to be a reflection of humanity in that moment, and people make decisions based on that. I think it’s super fascinating to be able to make decisions with all those factors in mind.”
Hunter-Goldman’s days are a mix of working with her team and KKR’s clients. She’s working on everything from stabilized to transitional to construction debt deals, and while she’s partial to multifamily and life sciences deals, she noted, “I like to have that constant variety.”
Hunter-Goldman’s advice to anyone new to the industry is twofold: ask questions, and be your authentic self. She said: “I’m the same person in the office as I am out of the office, and that makes me enjoy going to work every day even more. I think people respond to that authenticity, and it’s helped me build better relationships.”—C.C.
