O’Neil joins AEW as chief operating officer of private equity group

Boston, MA AEW Capital Management, L.P. (AEW) has appointed Lauren O’Neil as chief operating officer of AEW’s private equity group, a newly created position. With over a decade of experience in leadership roles, Lauren brings to AEW her extensive experience in deal origination and execution, as well as operational oversight. She will be primarily responsible for leading and managing many of the functional aspects of the firm’s private equity platform including the asset management and reporting functions.  In addition, she will be responsible for developing, maintaining, and expanding key relationships for the firm nationwide.  She will join the firm as a managing director and participate on the firm’s senior leadership team. She will report to Mike Byrne, AEW’s chief investment office and head of private equity.

“Lauren will focus on the strategic and day-to-day operations of AEW’s Private Equity Group and its integration with AEW’s various groups such as acquisitions, portfolio management and research,” said Byrne.

“Having Lauren in this role will allow our asset management team to focus on value creation and executing solid business plans on behalf of our investors.”

Prior to joining AEW, Lauren was a Senior Managing Director and Boston office Co-Head at JLL (and formerly HFF) since 2018, where her primary responsibilities included managing the day-to-day operations of the capital markets business, in addition to  deal origination, which led to the completion of over $10 billion in sales, debt and equity transactions across all product types, geographies and client profiles. She was a member of the Capital Markets Leadership Team, involved in strategic initiatives of the organization, and served on the Capital Markets DEI Committee focused on increasing diversity and female talent within the firm. Previously, she spent seven years as a Senior Director and Director at the firm, with responsibilities that included deal origination and execution. She began her real estate career at HFF as an analyst. Lauren is a Board Member and President-Elect of the Real Estate Finance Association (REFA); National Board Member, National Forum Member, MA Chapter Board and Gavel Member of the National Association of Office and Industrial Properties (NAIOP); and a Member of IOPC Green Product Council for the Urban Land Institute (ULI). She is actively involved in community initiatives, including currently serving on the Board of Trustees for Heading Home, Hill House and The Advent School. Lauren earned a BA from Boston College.