About Brian Cannella
Leading transactions for a national real estate platform
Brian Cannella is Senior Managing Director, Head of Transactions for a national real estate private equity firm. In this capacity, he leads acquisition, development, and disposition transactions along with capital markets activities for the platform. He sits on the firm’s investment committee and is based in Boca Raton, Florida.
More than a decade executing across the firm’s equity funds
Brian joined his current firm in 2013 and has spent more than a decade there, overseeing the execution of developments, acquisitions, and dispositions across the firm’s equity funds. Over the course of his tenure, he has been involved in completing more than $20 billion in real estate transactions, spanning sectors that include student housing, multifamily housing, seniors housing, medical office, light industrial, and self-storage. Each of these property types has drawn increased investor attention in recent years as demand for specialized real estate has grown.
Debt sourcing, structuring, and capital markets
Alongside his transactional responsibilities, Brian manages debt sourcing and structuring for the firm’s real estate platform and maintains the lender relationships involved in its real estate financing. His seat on the firm’s real estate executive committee gives him input on strategy for the platform as a whole, in addition to the transactions he leads directly.
From New York construction and brokerage to investments
Before his current role, Brian worked in commercial real estate in New York City, at both a large construction manager and real estate investor and at a brokerage firm. During that period, he focused on managing and analyzing the financial, operational, and business risks tied to commercial real estate development, investment, leasing, and disposition. That work provided the foundation for his transition into investments and capital markets, along with firsthand experience on the construction and brokerage side of the business.
Education
Brian earned his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Union College and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame. His civil engineering background preceded his move into real estate investment and finance.