Blackstone Names Katie Keenan CEO of $53B BREIT After CEO's Death

Blackstone has appointed Katie Keenan as the new CEO of its $53 billion Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (BREIT) following the tragic death of former CEO Wesley LePatner in a shooting incident at the company's Manhattan headquarters. Keenan, a 13-year veteran of Blackstone, will also serve as the global head of the firm's core-plus real estate business, overseeing the company's lower-risk, income-focused investments. The leadership changes, effective November 10, 2025, also include Tim Johnson succeeding Keenan as CEO of Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies and Zaneta Koplewicz being named Co-President and Director of BREIT alongside A.J. Agarwal. BREIT has notably delivered a 9.2% annualized net return since inception, outperforming the public REIT index by over 60% cumulatively. This transition aims to capitalize on the ongoing real estate recovery and sustain BREIT's strong performance within Blackstone's extensive $325 billion property platform.