Liquid Realty hires acquisitions head

San Francisco-based secondaries specialist Liquid Realty Partners has hired former Morgan Stanley dealmaker Mark Degner as managing director of acquisitions, to replace former CIO Jeff Giller.

Liquid Realty Partners, the San Francisco-based secondary and recapitalisation investment firm, has hired Mark Degner as managing director of acquisitions, the firm revealed today.

Degner, 48, is a former Morgan Stanley Real Estate professional who spent 10 years with the firm investing for its real estate funds, special situations vehicles, prime property fund and separate account clients. His last position at Morgan Stanley Real Estate was as executive director.

Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, he held senior acquisition, disposition and portfolio management positions with Denver-based logistics giant, ProLogis, and Canada’s Trizec Hahn Corporation, the predecessor to Trizec Properties which was taken over by Brookfield Asset Management and The Blackstone Group in 2006.

Liquid chief executive officer Scott Landress said in a statement Degner would be instrumental in developing the firm’s investment activity.

Degner’s appointment is being seen as a direct replacement of former chief investment officer Jeff Giller, who departed last October after four years with Liquid. Giller left one month after Liquid’s ex-acquisitions director Brendan MacDonald, whom he has since joined forces with to launch Clairvue Capital Partners.

Liquid is currently targeting $800 million for its latest fund, Liquid Realty Partners V, which, if successful, would be the largest dedicated real estate secondaries fund ever raised.