Empire State Realty Trust Appoints John Kessler AS COO - Quick Facts

(RTTNews) - Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (ESRT) announced the appointment of John Kessler as President and Chief Operating Officer or COO. He has now assumed his duties.

The company said that Anthony Malkin will continue as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Empire State said that Kessler will partner with Malkin to lead the organization. Specifically, Kessler will focus on real estate portfolio performance, operations, capital markets and investor relations activities. Malkin will continue to oversee long term strategy, capital markets and relationships with major tenants, investors and partners. He will also continue to have direct responsibility for the  Observatory.

Both executives will lead the company's external growth effort as it relates to potential acquisition and merger opportunities. All other senior executives continue in place, the company said.

Commenting on Kessler's prior experience, the company said that from 2010 to 2013, he was a Managing Director in the Credit business for Fortress Investment Group LLC (FIG) where he focused on real estate. From 1993 to 2010, Kessler held various positions in real estate at Morgan Stanley (MS), including Global Chief Financial Officer for the Morgan Stanley Real Estate or MSRE investing business and Managing Director.