Nailah Flake, Bradley Weismiller, Zachary Cohn and Karan Nayar 

It’s rare to find a player on this year’s list who would include a life sciences deal as a notable transaction. But, for Brookfield, the $394 million refinancing of University Park in East Cambridge, Mass., offers a case study in how the real estate credit team works. 

The CMBS SASB offering, which closed right before the tariff upheaval in April 2025, was for a lab asset Brookfield used to own and had sold to current owner Blackstone. The combination of operator insight, familiarity with the property, and long-term client relationship anchored a deal in an asset class that has been struggling through an historic downturn. Brookfield understood the value of an out-of-favor asset class and the realities of ownership, and was able to move fast and be decisive. 

But that’s what makes this team, which originated roughly $5 billion in loans globally last year, work: Connections to the larger Brookfield firm provide real-time data and insight about real estate markets; a diverse capital pool and expansion of the capital base means more flexibility and creativity in devising unique solutions for tenants; and a portfolio of relationships keep deals flowing. Roughly 60 percent of deals were repeat client relationships, and in the case of two nearly $300 million Manhattan office-to-residential projects with client Vanbarton Group, Brookfield tapped into a well of trust to close whole loan originations. 

“Our ability to underwrite their business plans has put us in a great position to give our sponsors confidence in our ability to provide certainty of execution and as well as creative solutions to their capital needs,” said Nailah Flake, who works as managing partner alongside Bradley Weismiller and Zach Cohn. Managing Director Karan Nayar rounds out the leadership quartet.

The strategy is to be a single shop to provide all forms of capital with a single point of contact, said Cohn. “The significant majority of capital that we control is our own discretionary capital, so we’re just looking at the relative value of the investment opportunity in front of us and making a decision,” he said. “We’re not doing that and then calling someone else and asking for their opinion.” 

In a year with extensive distractions and endless breaking news, it’s vital to have a trusted information source and the ability to act fast.

“We can’t control the macro noise, but what we can control, and what we have access to, is what we’re seeing happening within Brookfield’s $300 billion portfolio,” said Flake. “The headlines are what they are. But then we’re able to kind of ignore the headlines and focus on what’s really happening within our portfolio.”