MetLife Investment Management (MIM), the institutional asset management business of MetLife Inc. (NYSE: MET), has named Chris Aiken head of Real Estate Equity Strategies, strengthening its leadership team as the firm continues expanding its global real estate investment platform.
Effective immediately, Aiken will report to Andrea Drasites, global head of Real Estate and Agricultural Finance, and oversee MIM’s direct property investment business. In his new role, he will lead investment activities for both MetLife’s general account and third-party institutional investors across core, core-plus, build-to-core, value-add and opportunistic real estate strategies.
The appointment comes as MIM continues investing in its real estate capabilities. As of March 31, 2026, the firm’s real estate portfolio totaled $106.2 billion in assets under management, forming part of the company’s broader $736.3 billion institutional asset management platform.
Brian Funk, president of MetLife Investment Management, said Aiken has played a key role in the firm’s real estate business and has demonstrated strong leadership across acquisitions, development and portfolio strategy. He said Aiken’s market expertise and collaborative approach position him to guide the continued growth of the Real Estate Equity Strategies platform while delivering value for institutional clients.
Aiken most recently served as head of acquisitions for MIM’s Real Estate Equity Strategies Group, where he led property acquisition initiatives across multiple investment strategies. Before joining MetLife Investment Management, he was a managing director at Safanad, overseeing the full investment lifecycle for a range of real estate investments. Earlier in his career, he held real estate investment positions at BlackRock and Salomon Smith Barney.
He earned a Master of Science in Real Estate Finance from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Morehouse College. Aiken also serves as a member and co-chair of the Membership Committee for the Real Estate Executive Council and is a member of the Urban Land Institute’s Urban Development Mixed-Use Council.
The leadership appointment follows the recent naming of Andrea Drasites as global head of Real Estate and Agricultural Finance, reflecting MIM’s continued investment in expanding its global real estate platform. The business provides institutional investors with access to a broad range of commercial real estate investment strategies spanning stabilized assets, development-oriented investments and higher-return opportunistic opportunities.
MetLife Investment Management manages assets on behalf of public and private pension plans, insurance companies, endowments and other institutional investors across fixed income, real estate, equities, alternatives, multi-asset portfolios and insurance investment solutions. The firm leverages more than 150 years of investment experience as part of MetLife’s global financial services platform.