Veris Residential shakes up C-suite as Cardoso and Wagner leave and make way for new CIO and general counsel

Jeff Turkanis has been named CCIO while Taryn Fielder was named general counsel

Veris Residential on Friday announced two executive appointments designed to further support the Jersey City company’s transition into a pure-play multifamily real estate investment trust and drive long-term shareholder value.

Jeff Turkanis, former head of U.S. residential at Oxford Properties Group, has been appointed chief investment officer, succeeding Ricardo Cardoso, effective Monday, and Taryn Fielder, former general counsel at WashREIT, has been appointed general counsel, succeeding Gary Wagner, effective April 18.

Cardoso and Wagner will be leaving the company to pursue other opportunities, following a transition period.

“We are pleased to welcome Jeff and Taryn to Veris Residential as we continue to strengthen our team with top professionals who have significant experience working across private and publicly traded residential real estate. Jeff’s intricate knowledge of the residential sector and impressive track record of sourcing and executing strategic investments, coupled with Taryn’s breadth of experience that includes providing strategic advice for a variety of complex real estate transactions, will be invaluable as we continue our transition to a pure-play multifamily REIT,” Mahbod Nia, CEO of Veris Residential, said.

Turkanis’ extensive real estate investment experience includes over $15 billion in transactions concluded primarily across the office and residential sectors. He has been focused specifically on the residential sector (predominantly multifamily) for the past eight years, closing over $4 billion in transactions during this time.

As CIO, Turkanis will be responsible for overseeing the sale of nonstrategic assets, identifying potential value enhancement opportunities within Veris Residential’s existing portfolio, and sourcing potential new investment opportunities.

Fielder has significant experience providing legal counsel for capital market transactions, as well as securities, corporate governance and regulatory compliance matters. Prior to WashREIT, she served as senior vice president and general counsel for ASB Real Estate Investments and was assistant general counsel for publicly traded REIT DiamondRock Hospitality Co.