Chairman & CEO
Starwood Property Trust
Greenwich, CT
Barry Sternlicht is Chairman & CEO of Starwood Capital Group, the private alternative investment firm he formed in 1991 focused on global real estate, hotel management, oil and gas, and energy infrastructure. Mr. Sternlicht also serves as Chairman of Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), the largest commercial mortgage REIT in the U.S.; and French crystal maker Baccarat S.A.; as well as member of the Board of Directors of Invitation Homes (NYSE: INVH) the largest publicly traded investor, owner and operator of single-family homes in the U.S.
For the past 26 years, Mr. Sternlicht has structured investments with an asset value of approximately $92 billion. Starwood Capital’s funds have invested in approximately 172,500 multifamily/condo units, 2,900 hotels, 74 million square feet of office properties, 54 million square feet of retail and 52,000 lots of land in residential subdivisions. The Firm currently manages approximately $56 billion of assets on behalf of its high net worth and institutional partners. Starwood Capital, its affiliates and externally managed public companies employ more than 3,800 professionals, while approximately 9,000 additional employees are involved with a dozen portfolio operating companies. The Firm maintains offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Greenwich, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., and affiliated offices in London, Luxembourg, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.
From 1995 through early 2005, Mr. Sternlicht was Chairman and CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, a company he founded in 1995. During his tenure, he built Starwood Hotels into one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world, employing more than 120,000 people with 895 properties in 100 countries. Mr. Sternlicht created W Hotels, perhaps the world’s most successful “boutique” brand, and built the St. Regis Hotels brand from a single hotel to a global brand.
In 2008, Mr. Sternlicht founded SH Group, his new hotel management company. SH Group is the owner and manager of Baccarat Hotels & Resorts and 1 Hotels brands.
In 2016, Mr. Sternlicht was the recipient of PERE’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2015, he was named the Global Industry Figure of the Year by PERE, received the Cornell Icon of the Industry Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Hotel Investment Forum. In 2013, Mr. Sternlicht was named the Most Important Person in Commercial Real Estate Finance by The Mortgage Observer. In 2010, Mr. Sternlicht was named Executive of the Year and Investor of the Year by Commercial Property Executive. Mr. Sternlicht was also named America’s Best Lodging CEO by Institutional Investor Magazine. He is a member of the Interior Design Magazine Hall of Fame. He has received the Preston Robert Tisch Distinguished Industry Leadership Award from New York University, the CEO Diversity Award from Diversity Best Practices/Business Women’s Network, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Travel Marketing Executives, the Hospitality Heritage Award from the American Hotel and Lodging Association, and the Marketer of the Year Award from Brandweek. Mr. Sternlicht’s humanitarian efforts have garnered prestigious national honors such as JDRF’s Man of the Year, JDRF’s Living and Giving Award and JDRF’s Chairman’s Award.
Mr. Sternlicht serves on the Board of Directors of The Estée Lauder Companies and the Real Estate Roundtable. Additionally, he formerly served as Chairman of the Board and is currently a Board member of The Robin Hood Foundation, and also serves on the Boards of the Dreamland Film & Performing Arts Center, and the Executive Advisory Board of Americans for the Arts. He is a member of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation Trustee Council, the World Presidents Organization and the Urban Land Institute.
Barry Sternlicht received his BA, magna cum laude, with honors from Brown University. He later earned an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.
President & Managing Director
Starwood Property Trust
Jeffrey F. DiModica, CFA, has been the Company’s President since September 2014. He has also served as a Managing Director of an affiliate of the Manager since July 2014. Mr. DiModica served as a director of the Company from its inception in 2009 to July 2014.
From 2007 to 2014, Mr. DiModica was a Managing Director and the Head of MBS/ABS/CMBS Sales and Strategy for the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). In that role, he was responsible for the distribution of mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”), asset- backed securities (“ABS”) and commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) to institutional clients, including banks, hedge funds, insurance companies and money managers. Previously, from 2001 to 2007, Mr. DiModica headed the Boston sales office for RBS. Prior to joining RBS, from 1993 to 2001, Mr. DiModica sold derivative and MBS products to institutional clients for Merrill Lynch in Boston. Mr. DiModica began his career in the Merchant and Investment Banking Group of the Commercial Real Estate Department at Chemical Bank from 1989 to 1991.
Mr. DiModica received a B.S./B.A. degree with a concentration in Finance from Boston University, an M.B.A. degree from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College and received his Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1995. Mr. DiModica is an active member of YPO (Young Presidents Organization), serves on the board of Virtual Enterprises International (VEI), a non-profit focused on teaching career and entrepreneurial skills to inner city high school students, and was founding president of www.Mitoaction.org, a support, education and advocacy group for families affected by Mitochondrial Disease.
Chief Financial Officer
Starwood Property Trust
Rina Paniry is Chief Financial Officer of Starwood Property Trust. In this role, she is responsible for all financial and accounting functions for the business. Before being promoted to this role in 2014, Ms. Paniry served as Chief Financial Officer of Starwood Property Trust subsidiary LNR Property LLC, where she led the integration and transition of Starwood Property Trust’s core finance functions—including accounting, treasury, planning and tax—to LNR’s Miami office following Starwood Property Trust’s acquisition of the business in 2013. Ms. Paniry joined LNR in 2006 as Chief Accounting Officer.
Prior to joining LNR, Ms. Paniry spent 11 years at Deloitte & Touche, where she began her career. She worked in numerous roles with increasing responsibility, principally in the real estate industry in the functional areas of audit and mergers & acquisitions.
Ms. Paniry holds a Masters of Accounting from Florida International University and is a Florida CPA.
Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel
Starwood Property Trust
Andrew Sossen is Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), an affiliate of Starwood Capital Group that is the largest commercial mortgage REIT in the U.S. In this role, Mr. Sossen is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the business, as well as its capital markets and strategic initiatives. He is also a member of Starwood Property Trust’s Investment Committee.
Prior to joining Starwood Property Trust in 2010, Mr. Sossen served as the General Counsel of KKR Financial Holdings LLC, a publicly traded specialty finance company, and KKR Asset Management, where he was a member of senior management and was involved in both policy and strategic decision-making, as well as in the business’ day-to-day operations. Mr. Sossen’s career began at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, where he specialized in capital markets and mergers and acquisitions.
Mr. Sossen received both his B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania.
Chairman & CEO
Starwood Property Trust
Greenwich, CT
Barry Sternlicht is Chairman & CEO of Starwood Capital Group, the private alternative investment firm he formed in 1991 focused on global real estate, hotel management, oil and gas, and energy infrastructure. Mr. Sternlicht also serves as Chairman of Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), the largest commercial mortgage REIT in the U.S.; and French crystal maker Baccarat S.A.; as well as member of the Board of Directors of Invitation Homes (NYSE: INVH) the largest publicly traded investor, owner and operator of single-family homes in the U.S.
For the past 26 years, Mr. Sternlicht has structured investments with an asset value of approximately $92 billion. Starwood Capital’s funds have invested in approximately 172,500 multifamily/condo units, 2,900 hotels, 74 million square feet of office properties, 54 million square feet of retail and 52,000 lots of land in residential subdivisions. The Firm currently manages approximately $56 billion of assets on behalf of its high net worth and institutional partners. Starwood Capital, its affiliates and externally managed public companies employ more than 3,800 professionals, while approximately 9,000 additional employees are involved with a dozen portfolio operating companies. The Firm maintains offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Greenwich, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., and affiliated offices in London, Luxembourg, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.
From 1995 through early 2005, Mr. Sternlicht was Chairman and CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, a company he founded in 1995. During his tenure, he built Starwood Hotels into one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world, employing more than 120,000 people with 895 properties in 100 countries. Mr. Sternlicht created W Hotels, perhaps the world’s most successful “boutique” brand, and built the St. Regis Hotels brand from a single hotel to a global brand.
In 2008, Mr. Sternlicht founded SH Group, his new hotel management company. SH Group is the owner and manager of Baccarat Hotels & Resorts and 1 Hotels brands.
In 2016, Mr. Sternlicht was the recipient of PERE’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2015, he was named the Global Industry Figure of the Year by PERE, received the Cornell Icon of the Industry Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Hotel Investment Forum. In 2013, Mr. Sternlicht was named the Most Important Person in Commercial Real Estate Finance by The Mortgage Observer. In 2010, Mr. Sternlicht was named Executive of the Year and Investor of the Year by Commercial Property Executive. Mr. Sternlicht was also named America’s Best Lodging CEO by Institutional Investor Magazine. He is a member of the Interior Design Magazine Hall of Fame. He has received the Preston Robert Tisch Distinguished Industry Leadership Award from New York University, the CEO Diversity Award from Diversity Best Practices/Business Women’s Network, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Travel Marketing Executives, the Hospitality Heritage Award from the American Hotel and Lodging Association, and the Marketer of the Year Award from Brandweek. Mr. Sternlicht’s humanitarian efforts have garnered prestigious national honors such as JDRF’s Man of the Year, JDRF’s Living and Giving Award and JDRF’s Chairman’s Award.
Mr. Sternlicht serves on the Board of Directors of The Estée Lauder Companies and the Real Estate Roundtable. Additionally, he formerly served as Chairman of the Board and is currently a Board member of The Robin Hood Foundation, and also serves on the Boards of the Dreamland Film & Performing Arts Center, and the Executive Advisory Board of Americans for the Arts. He is a member of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation Trustee Council, the World Presidents Organization and the Urban Land Institute.
Barry Sternlicht received his BA, magna cum laude, with honors from Brown University. He later earned an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.
Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Real Estate Acquisitions
Starwood Capital Group
SPT Management, LLC
London
Jeffrey G. Dishner is a Senior Managing Director at Starwood Capital Group, where he is responsible for overseeing the Firm’s acquisition efforts on a worldwide basis. In this role, Mr. Dishner assists the team in originating, structuring, underwriting and closing investments in all property types. He has also helped drive Starwood Capital’s ongoing expansion of operations in Europe, as compelling investment opportunities in the region continue to increase. Reflecting the success of this effort, Starwood Capital in 2013 was named European Firm of the Year by leading industry publication PERE. Mr. Dishner is a member of the Firm’s Executive and Investment Committees, and also serves on the Investment Committee and board of trustees of Starwood Property Trust.
Prior to joining Starwood Capital in 1994, Mr. Dishner worked in the commercial mortgage finance group at J.P. Morgan & Co., where he focused on whole-loan dispositions and securitizations for various thrift institutions. Before that, Mr. Dishner was a member of the acquisitions group at JMB Realty.
Mr. Dishner received a B.S. degree in economics from the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Dartmouth College’s Amos Tuck School, where he serves on the Advisory Board.
Senior Managing Director and Head of Real Estate Acquisitions for the Americas
Starwood Capital Group
SPT Management, LLC
Washington, D.C.
Christopher Graham is a Senior Managing Director at Starwood Capital Group, where he supervises the Firm’s investments in the Americas. In this role, Mr. Graham is responsible for originating, structuring, underwriting and closing investments in all property types. He is also a member of the Firm’s Investment Committee, as well as the Investment Committee for Starwood Property Trust.
Prior to joining Starwood Capital in 2002, Mr. Graham worked at CB Richard Ellis in Washington, D.C., where he was Director of the financial consulting group for the Eastern Region of the U.S. Mr. Graham was previously Associate Director, Eastern Region, of CB Richard Ellis’ investment properties group.
Mr. Graham received a BBA degree in finance from James Madison University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
President & Managing Director
Starwood Property Trust
Jeffrey F. DiModica, CFA, has been the Company’s President since September 2014. He has also served as a Managing Director of an affiliate of the Manager since July 2014. Mr. DiModica served as a director of the Company from its inception in 2009 to July 2014.
From 2007 to 2014, Mr. DiModica was a Managing Director and the Head of MBS/ABS/CMBS Sales and Strategy for the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). In that role, he was responsible for the distribution of mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”), asset- backed securities (“ABS”) and commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) to institutional clients, including banks, hedge funds, insurance companies and money managers. Previously, from 2001 to 2007, Mr. DiModica headed the Boston sales office for RBS. Prior to joining RBS, from 1993 to 2001, Mr. DiModica sold derivative and MBS products to institutional clients for Merrill Lynch in Boston. Mr. DiModica began his career in the Merchant and Investment Banking Group of the Commercial Real Estate Department at Chemical Bank from 1989 to 1991.
Mr. DiModica received a B.S./B.A. degree with a concentration in Finance from Boston University, an M.B.A. degree from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College and received his Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1995. Mr. DiModica is an active member of YPO (Young Presidents Organization), serves on the board of Virtual Enterprises International (VEI), a non-profit focused on teaching career and entrepreneurial skills to inner city high school students, and was founding president of www.Mitoaction.org, a support, education and advocacy group for families affected by Mitochondrial Disease.
Chief Credit Officer
Starwood Property Trust
Mark Cagley is the Chief Credit Officer of Starwood Property Trust. In this role, Mr. Cagley oversees deal screening, structuring and due diligence, portfolio management and primary servicing for investments made by Starwood Property Trust. He also chairs the Company’s Investment Committee.
Prior to joining Starwood Property Trust in 2015, Mr. Cagley was employed at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he most recently served as the Commercial Real Estate Credit Products Executive for the Eastern United States. In this role, he was responsible for the underwriting, structuring, closing and management of a $25 billion loan portfolio. During his almost 30 years in the real estate finance industry at Bank of America and Wells Fargo/Wachovia, Mr. Cagley held a number of senior roles in the commercial real estate origination, underwriting and capital markets loan syndication units at both organizations.
Mr. Cagley received a B.S. degree in marketing from Louisiana State University and an MBA from the University of Houston. He is a member of the National Association of Securities Dealers and holds Series 7, 79, 63 and 24 licenses.
Managing Director
Starwood Property Trust
Cary Carpenter is a Managing Director of commercial real estate, capital markets, trading and syndication at Starwood Property Trust. In this role, Mr. Carpenter is responsible for pricing, structuring and capital commitments for the acquisition and sale of CRE debt for Starwood Property Trust. He also manages the financing and sale of whole loans, as well as warehouse lines for the company.
Prior to joining Starwood Property Trust in 2010, Mr. Carpenter was a Partner at Coastal Capital Partners, where he managed the acquisition of performing, sub-performing and non-performing CRE debt. As an Executive Vice President with Countrywide Commercial Real Estate Finance, Cary was responsible for the pricing, structuring and sale of all fixed and floating rate high-yield commercial real estate debt. Before that, Mr. Carpenter served his initial stint at Coastal Capital Partners, where his responsibilities included client development and capital raising for third parties. Before that, he was a Managing Director for Precept Corp., an online marketplace for CRE financing, with responsibilities including business and product development, and capital raising. Prior to that, he was a Vice President of Structured Finance at Nomura Asset Capital, a Senior Consultant in Deloitte and Touche’s real estate capital markets group, an Assistant Treasurer in Toyo Trust and Bank’s real estate finance group, and a Project Designer for both The SWA Group and Sasaki Associates.
Cary received an M.S. in real estate development and finance from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Kansas State University.
Chief Originations Officer
Starwood Property Trust
Dennis Schuh is Chief Originations Officer of Starwood Property Trust. In this role, Mr. Schuh is responsible for national originations, including senior debt, mezzanine and preferred equity investments.
Prior to joining Starwood Property Trust in 2016, Mr. Schuh was a Managing Director and head of CMBS Banking/Origination for J.P. Morgan. He was previously head of CMBS Capital Markets where his responsibilities included managing the securitization business and high yield debt distribution. Before joining J.P. Morgan in 1997, Mr. Schuh’s career began at Fitch Ratings where he rated CMBS and REITs. He served on the Board of Governors for the CRE Finance Council from 2006 to 2008 and on its Executive Committee from 2007 to 2008. Mr. Schuh is also a member of the Urban Land Institute, the Mortgage Bankers Association, CRE Finance Counsel and the International Counsel of Shopping Centers.
Mr. Schuh graduated from Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a degree in Finance, and maintains series 7, 24, and 63 securities licenses.
Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel
Starwood Property Trust
Andrew Sossen is Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), an affiliate of Starwood Capital Group that is the largest commercial mortgage REIT in the U.S. In this role, Mr. Sossen is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the business, as well as its capital markets and strategic initiatives. He is also a member of Starwood Property Trust’s Investment Committee.
Prior to joining Starwood Property Trust in 2010, Mr. Sossen served as the General Counsel of KKR Financial Holdings LLC, a publicly traded specialty finance company, and KKR Asset Management, where he was a member of senior management and was involved in both policy and strategic decision-making, as well as in the business’ day-to-day operations. Mr. Sossen’s career began at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, where he specialized in capital markets and mergers and acquisitions.
Mr. Sossen received both his B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania.
Managing Director
Starwood Capital Group
Greenwich, CT
Carl Tash is a Managing Director at Starwood Capital Group. In this role, he is a member of the Investment Committees for both Starwood Capital and Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), an affiliate of Starwood Capital that is the largest commercial mortgage REIT in the United States. Mr. Tash also serves as Chief Strategist of Starwood Retail Partners, a Starwood Capital affiliate that is one of the largest mall operators in the United States. In this role, he works with senior management to review the strategic direction of the retail portfolio, as well as monitors and supervises the acquisition and asset manage¬ment of mall and lifestyle center investments.
Mr. Tash has held several senior positions at Starwood Capital and its affiliates, including Chief Credit Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Starwood Capital, chief credit officer of Starwood Property Trust, and Managing Director of a num¬ber of Luxembourg and other non-U.S. entities of Starwood Capital funds. Prior to joining Starwood Capital in 2011, he founded Cliffwood Partners LLC, a real estate securities investment firm, and served as CEO and Chief Investment Officer for 15 years. Before that, Mr. Tash spent 12 years with JMB and its affiliates. At the time of his departure in 1991, he was President of JMB’s investment subsidiary, JMB Institutional Realty Corp., and had a strategic, senior role with JMB’s retail development subsidiary. While at JMB, Mr. Tash was also responsible for the acquisition and structuring of more than $5 billion in corporate real estate transactions.
Mr. Tash received a B.S. degree in economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Wharton Real Estate Center, and is an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and the Urban Land Institute.
Senior Vice President and Head of Capital Markets for the Americas
Starwood Capital Group
Greenwich, CT
Austin Nowlin is a Senior Vice President and Head of Capital Markets for the Americas at Starwood Capital Group. In this role, he is responsible for the origination, structuring, and execution of asset-level and fund/corporate-level financing activity for Starwood Capital’s investments in the Americas. Since joining the Firm in 2011, Mr. Nowlin has closed over $16 billion in financings across all product types, including revolving credit facilities, domestic and foreign balance sheet loans, construction financing, fixed and floating rate commercial mortgage-backed securities, and mezzanine financing.
Prior to joining Starwood Capital, Mr. Nowlin served as a Relationship Manager in Wells Fargo’s real estate banking group, where he originated financing for multifamily and hospitality assets in the New York market. Before that, Mr. Nowlin worked in Wachovia Securities’ leveraged finance group, where he arranged and syndicated debt for REITs, opportunity funds and real estate developers. He began his career as an analyst at Raymond James, where he was responsible for making equity investments in multifamily assets.
Mr. Nowlin earned a B.A. degree in economics from Florida State University.
President, Real Estate Investing & Servicing
Starwood Property Trust
Adam Behlman is President of Starwood Property Trust’s Real Estate Investing & Servicing segment. In this role, Mr. Behlman is responsible for overseeing Starwood Property Trust’s commercial mortgage-backed securities and real estate investment platform, as well as leading the company’s wholly owned special servicer, LNR Partners. He previously served as Head of Capital Markets and Chief Risk Officer for LNR.
Prior to joining LNR in 2011, Mr. Behlman served as Head of the Real Estate Finance and CMBS division of UBS. In this role, he was responsible for managing and trading UBS’ legacy CMBS and commercial real estate loan book, while also helping return UBS to the origination, trading and underwriting business. Mr. Behlman previously held a variety of capital markets and real estate roles with firms including Deutsche Bank, Prudential Securities and Deloitte.
Mr. Behlman holds a B.A. degree from Queens College, CUNY, in both accounting and information systems and economics.
President
Starwood Mortgage Capital
Larry Brown is President of Starwood Mortgage Capital. In this role, Mr. Brown oversees all lending and securitization activities for the platform. He previously co-founded Archetype Mortgage Capital in 2011, and served as President of the company—which was renamed Starwood Mortgage Capital in 2013.
Prior to joining Archetype, Mr. Brown was a Co-Founder, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of AllBridge Investments, an investor in the commercial real estate capital markets. Before that, Mr. Brown started Deutsche Bank Mortgage Capital, L.L.C., a subsidiary of Deutsche Bank, and served as President and CEO of the company. Mr. Brown previously served as President of WMF Capital Corp., and was a Managing Director of Commercial Real Estate Finance at First Union National Bank (now known as Wells Fargo), where he co-founded the bank’s real estate capital markets group. Before that, he was a Senior Vice President in the real estate finance group at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, and an Associate at the law firms of Baker & McKenzie and Mudge, Rose, Guthrie, Alexander & Ferdon, where he specialized in real estate banking and real estate finance law.
Mr. Brown holds a B.A. degree with honors in political science from Tufts University and a JD from Georgetown University School of Law.
Head of Investor Strategy
Starwood Property Trust
Zachary Tanenbaum is Head of Investor Strategy for Starwood Property Trust. In this role, Mr. Tanenbaum is responsible for cultivating and managing the company’s relationships with the global investment and analyst communities.
Prior to joining Starwood Property Trust in 2014, Mr. Tanenbaum served as a Senior Analyst at Wesley Capital Management, a long/short real estate securities hedge fund. In this role, he generated investment ideas across the REIT, real estate operating company, specialty finance and homebuilding sectors. He previously served in senior sell-side equity research positions at FBR Capital Markets and MLV & Co.
Mr. Tanenbaum received a B.S. degree from Cornell University and an M.S. degree in real estate, with a concentration in finance and investment, from New York University.