New York, NY / May 1, 2019 / PRNewswire RealFoundations, the world’s foremost professional services provider focused solely on the real estate industry, today announced the appointment of James ‘Jim’ Valente as Global Head of Data Services and member of the company’s executive team. Jim will lead the firm’s worldwide data services team, which helps real estate firms collect, organize and manage their data to support investment decision-making as well as tracking and reporting of performance.
Jim brings to RealFoundations more than two decades of commercial real estate experience, including an extensive background in investment strategy and research. He has helped many of the largest global investors and real estate managers align their investment strategies with benchmarking and tools to measure performance and manage risk. Previously, Jim served as the Head of U.S. Research for ING Clarion and as both the Head of Real Estate Product Management and the Global Head of Real Estate at MSCI, Inc.
“We are elated to bring Jim on board, especially at this important juncture in RealFoundations’ evolution – as we build upon the success of and re-energize our Data Services practice for more growth. When it comes to data, investment strategy and the intersection of the two, Jim has deep, relevant experience and expertise, tremendous foresight and a proven ability to consistently develop and deliver outstanding products and services to the real estate industry. RealFoundations has long offered the best real estate managed services and they will only get better with Jim on the team.”
— Mark Callin, Co-Founder and Enterprise Managing Consultant and Co-Founder, RealFoundations
Today, the real estate industry is being transformed by a confluence of forces that are impacting the complexity of investment structures, strategies and the reasons why investors include real estate in their multi-asset class portfolios. The end result is that more, and different types of people are being brought into the decision-making process at all phases – from allocation to the asset class, to the allocation to different risk strategies, to the selection and partners and the eventual acquisition and management of investments. These changes are leading to more formal data-driven decision-making as well as additional levels of reporting that many organizations are struggling with. With the addition of Jim to the team, RealFoundations is uniquely better positioned in the industry to help investors and managers successfully navigate these changes and achieve their investment goals.
“I’m thrilled to join RealFoundations, I have always viewed RealFoundations as the gold standard in the real estate consulting and managed services space. As a result of helping a large and diverse group of organizations solve just about every problem over the past 20-plus years, the firm has acquired unique, experienced-based knowledge that is unparalleled.”
— Jim Valente, Global Head of Data Services, RealFoundations
Jim Valente holds a BA in Economics from Eastern Connecticut State University and an MBA in Real Estate Finance from the University of Connecticut School of Business. Additionally, he completed graduate-level studies in economics and statistics at Fordham University and New Jersey Institute of Technology, respectively.
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For more information about careers at RealFoundations, contact our Director of People Services Tony Dodder by email or +1 646 825 7962.
About RealFoundations
RealFoundations (RF) is the world’s foremost professional services firm focused solely on the real estate industry. Through our delivery of Management Consulting and Managed Services, we help companies that develop, own, operate, service or invest in real estate make better, more profitable decisions. We are proud partners to over 500 real estate companies around the globe, providing accelerated solutions that solve some of real estate’s most complex challenges. We Make Real Estate Run Better.
