John Kessler has been elected to the board of directors of Minneapolis-based Opus.
Kessler is chief executive officer of Mitsui Fudosan America, Inc. (“MFA”), the U.S. subsidiary of Mitsui Fudosan Group, a publicly listed real estate company in Japan.
The Opus board of directors includes business and industry experts, as well as family members of Gerry Rauenhorst, who originally founded the business in 1953. It provides strategic guidance and supports responsible practices in many areas, including financial controls and audits, conflicts of interest, enterprise risk, investment management, corporate responsibility, board and leadership team composition, succession planning and executive compensation.
Before being appointed to chief executive officer of MFA in 2023, Kessler served as the company’s chief operating officer. Prior to joining MFA, Kessler was president and chief operating officer of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., a NYSE-listed office REIT; and managing director in the credit business of Fortress Investment Group, LLC, where he focused on real estate. His past experience also includes more than 17 years at Morgan Stanley Real Estate, where he held various positions, including global chief financial officer for the investing business and managing director.
Kessler earned a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Sciences from Harvard University, graduating cum laude, and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He is a member of MFA’s board of directors, the Urban Land Institute, the Real Estate Roundtable and the Real Estate Board of New York.
