Blackstone Names Rob Harper Interim BREIT CEO

Blackstone has appointed an interim BREIT CEO following the death of Wesley LePatner in the recent shooting at the company’s New York City headquarters last week.

Rob Harper, co-president of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, will serve as interim CEO, according to a regulatory filing. He will retain his current roles at BREIT as the board searches for a permanent successor, Bloomberg first reported.

LePatner was among four killed in last week’s shooting at 345 Park Avenue; her death sent shockwaves through the real estate industry. She assumed her role as CEO of the $55 billion BREIT in January after being the firm’s operating chief. LePatner had been with the company since 2014, following a decade in the real estate division of Goldman Sachs. She also headed Blackstone’s core-plus real estate business.

Rudin associate Julia Hyman also died in the shooting, along with security guard Aland Etienne and off-duty NYPD officer Didarul Islam.

BRIET’s portfolio is invested in data centers, rental housing, and warehouses. Now, its leadership is tasked with maintaining stable returns amid a high-interest-rate environment. Since launching almost nine years ago, BREIT’s largest share class has delivered a 9.3% annualized net return.

Harper also serves as Blackstone’s head of real estate asset management for the Americas. He was BREIT president from 2023 until March of this year, when he was named co-president along with A.J. Agarwal.

LePatner was remembered by colleagues as a formidable force in the industry and a dedicated mentor to young women in commercial real estate. She is survived by her husband and two children.

“Words cannot express the devastation we feel,” Blackstone said in a statement following LePatner’s death. “Wesley was a beloved member of the Blackstone family and will be sorely missed. She was brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond.”

— Quinn Waller