MetLife Investment Management (MIM) has announced the appointment of Chris Aiken as Head of Real Estate Equity Strategies, effective immediately. Aiken will report to Andrea Drasites, Global Head of Real Estate & Agricultural Finance.

Aiken previously served as Head of Acquisitions for MIM's Real Estate Equity Strategies Group, where he was responsible for leading the firm's direct real estate investment platform. This involved investment activities across core, core-plus, value-add development, and opportunistic strategies for the MetLife general account and third-party institutional investors.

MIM President Brian Funk stated that Chris has been an integral part of the real estate platform, consistently demonstrating strong leadership, deep market expertise, and a commitment to creating value for clients. His experience in acquisitions, development, and portfolio strategy, combined with his collaborative approach, makes him the right person to lead the real estate equity strategies business.

Prior to joining MIM, Aiken was a Managing Director at Safanad, where he led the full-cycle management of investments across multiple real estate strategies. He also previously worked in real estate investments at BlackRock and Salomon Smith Barney. Aiken holds a Master of Science in Real Estate Finance from New York University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Morehouse College. He is also a member and Co-Chair of the Membership Committee for the Real Estate Executive Council, and a member of the Urban Land Institute's Urban Development Mixed-Use Council.

As of March 31, 2026, MIM's real estate investment portfolio had assets under management of $106.2 billion. This appointment follows the earlier naming of Andrea Drasites as Global Head of Real Estate & Agricultural Finance and represents another step in MIM's ongoing investment in its real estate capabilities and leadership team to expand its global platform.

MetLife Investment Management is the institutional asset management business of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET). With over 150 years of investment experience, it provides customized investment management solutions to institutional investors worldwide. As of March 31, 2026, its total assets under management were $736.3 billion.