Jonathan Needell is President and Chief Investment Officer of Kairos. Mr. Needell joined the Company’s predecessor in 2006 as its Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Needell directs the firm’s investment strategy and decisions, forms and fosters investor relationships, and is a voting member of the firm’s investment, credit, and risk committees. Since its founding, Kairos has targeted inefficiencies in commercial real estate markets by investing in public debt, private equity, and private debt on behalf of pension plans, foundations, endowments, corporations, sovereign wealth, registered investment advisors, and high net worth individuals and families.
From 2003 to 2006, Mr. Needell was the Investment Director and Chief Financial Officer of Schnitzer West (formerly Schnitzer Northwest), a commercial real estate investment and development firm based in Bellevue, Washington. While at Schnitzer, Mr. Needell was responsible for the sourcing and structuring of the firm’s debt and equity financing efforts as well as its lender and equity partner relations.
Prior to Schnitzer, Mr. Needell served at Merrill Lynch & Co. as Director – Corporate Finance Group in the Investment Banking Division. Mr. Needell started his career at Merrill Lynch in 1992 and held several positions within the Real Estate Group, Investment Banking Division, prior to moving to the Corporate Finance Group in 2000. At Merrill Lynch, he developed and maintained client relationships relating to corporate finance products in several focus areas including real estate, media, and general industrial. In addition, he worked extensively in capital raising activities and deal structuring and negotiation.
During his tenure at Merrill Lynch, Mr. Needell executed over fifty transactions with an aggregate value in excess of $15 billion. These transactions included mergers and acquisitions, strategic private equity and PIPE investments, structured and convertible bond offerings, unsecured debt and preferred equity offerings, public secondary and add-on equity offerings, secured debt and commercial mortgage-backed securities offerings, and several initial, secondary, and add-on public offerings of equity in real estate investment trusts (REITs).
Mr. Needell also serves on the Investment Committee of the Board of Directors of Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), the Board of Directors of Sterling Realty Organization, and the Board of Trustees of Stratton Mountain School. Additionally, he is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and a member of the Urban Land Institute. Mr. Needell holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Economics and History from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. Mr. Needell is also a four-time Ironman.