Keith Singman, 30

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) executed $22 billion in originations last year, and a key force in that impressive amount was Keith Singman.

Singman handles the platform’s loan originations from start to execution in a largely client-facing role as a primary point of contact for sponsors, brokers and internal credit stakeholders. 

It was Singman’s knack for the people side of the real estate business that served as his “Aha!” moment as he figured out his career path. He started as a leasing broker before pivoting to real estate finance at Deutsche Bank, on the credit risk side to begin with, before being catapulted into being a front-office member of Alex Cabria’s dynamic team at SMBC. 

“The biggest highlight of my career has been being part of building such an amazing platform,” Singman said. “The group has scaled significantly in terms of its team size and production from when I joined, and having the opportunity to take on additional responsibilities and contribute to a team culture of execution through collaboration has been amazing and so rewarding from both a professional perspective and a personal growth perspective.”

Some of Singman’s deals include leading the execution of a $250 million senior loan backed by an industrial portfolio and a $685 million ground-up construction loan for a life sciences development. The latter involved plenty of complexities, but Singman worked closely with stakeholders to ensure the timely delivery of the state-of-the-art property. Today, the deal acts as a benchmark for SMBC’s future life sciences loans.  

“What I enjoy the most is the variety and complexity of the work,” Singman said. “No two deals are the same, and I’m constantly evaluating different asset classes, sponsors, business plans and capital structures. Certainty of execution is key, and one of my biggest strengths is pushing our process and third parties to make sure we’re consistently executing efficiently for our clients. I love driving the process from start to end.” 

As for the advice he’d give to anyone contemplating a career in real estate finance? 

“Invest in relationships,” he said. “Make yourself open, and cast your net wide when it comes to network connections. Also, stay curious about the market and build a strong, technical foundation early on, whether that’s digging into the numbers, underwriting or understanding how capital is forming. Build that foundation early, get your repetitions in, and be as close to deals as possible.”