Ares Management Increases Its Net Lease Footprint

Firm announces four new key hires to its executive team.

Ares Management Corp. continues to expand its presence and activity in net lease and related investment opportunities, one it describes as a “compelling investment opportunity.”

The growing net lease sector is estimated at $12 trillion in the US and Europe. Ares continued its commitment with recent hires to enable it to enhance its capabilities across the platform.

John Case, Ben Fox, Joel Tomlinson and Taejoon Chun joined the team, a joint initiative between Ares’ Alternative Credit strategy and its Real Estate Group.

Ares has significant experience in the asset class with more than $4 billion in net lease investments made in the last year. Case, Fox, Tomlinson and Chun will be based in San Diego and will work collaboratively to leverage their insights.

Additionally, the team will use their experience and relationships of Ares’ Credit Group and Private Equity Group to help source compelling opportunities that draw on the competitive advantages of the entire Ares platform. 

The team is responsible for advancing the net lease strategy, acquiring properties, developing capital solutions and structuring investments. The team also is a resource for managing Ares’ existing portfolio of net lease assets.

Case joins as a partner and senior advisor and will work with the company on a part-time basis. Prior to joining Ares, he served as CEO and director of Realty Income Corp. from 2013 to 2018.

Fox joins as a managing director. Prior to joining Ares, he was EVP, Asset Management and Operations at Realty Income, where he also served as a member of the Investment Committee. Fox led Realty Income’s largest department, overseeing and managing approximately 7,000 properties across the US and UK. 

Tomlinson joins as a managing director. Prior to joining Ares, Tomlinson was a partner at Apollo Global Management, where he helped build and operate the Apollo Net Lease Capital Corporation. Prior to that, Tomlinson was the SVP of Acquisitions at Realty Income.

Chun joins as a principal. Prior to joining Ares in 2021, Chun was SVP, Investments & Head of Asset Management at Realty Income. Previously, Chun worked at OppenheimerFunds, a global asset manager, as a Research Associate in the Value Equity Team.