7 May 2025
Investcorp, a leading global alternative investment firm, today announced that it has tapped Starwood Capital Group veteran John McCarthy to serve as Advisory Director, guiding the firm’s Real Assets initiatives. In this role, he will primarily focus on advancing the firm’s strategic priorities for its U.S. and European real estate businesses.
“John’s appointment enhances our team’s expertise and broadens our network of relationships as we aim to expand our real assets business globally,” said Herb Myers, Global Co-Head of Real Assets at Investcorp. “John has had an outstanding career leading some of the most renowned firms in the industry. His insights and guidance will be invaluable as we evolve and execute our strategy.”
McCarthy comes to Investcorp from Starwood, where he served in various leadership roles across multiple entities over the course of 13 years. Most recently, McCarthy was Chairman and board member of Starwood Credit Real Estate Income Trust, and Vice Chairman and board member of Starwood Real Estate Income Trust, where he was also the founding CEO, and previously was Managing Director of Global Capital Relationships at Starwood Capital Group. Beyond Starwood, McCarthy served in leadership roles across numerous leading global investment firms, including as Deputy Head of Europe at Abu Dhabi Investment Authority; Global Co-Head of Asset Management at Lehman Brothers; Head of Europe Asset Management at JP Morgan O’Connor Peabody Funds; and Managing Director, Central & Eastern Europe at GE Real Estate.
Michael O’Brien, Global Co-Head of Real Assets at Investcorp, stated, “We see tremendous opportunities for increased investment across our target asset classes – including industrial, student housing, and multifamily – in the U.S. and Europe. John’s global experience will be instrumental in creating significant value as we aim to capture greater market share and expand our assets under management. We look forward to his substantial contributions.”
McCarthy added, “I have gotten to know Herb, Mike, and the Investcorp team quite well over the last few years, and I’ve been consistently impressed by their expertise, execution and performance. It is an honor to have the opportunity to work with this exceptional team to enhance Investcorp’s position as one of the world’s most sophisticated real assets investors.”
In 2024, the Investcorp real estate team placed at number 51 on PERE’s PERE 100, one of the most prominent rankings of real estate equity investment managers in the industry. Since 1996, Investcorp has acquired approximately 1,500 properties across the U.S., Europe and India for a total value of approximately $27 billion. The firm is among the top-5 largest cross-border buyers of U.S. real estate over the last five years, according to Real Capital Analytics, with 98% of the firm’s current U.S. portfolio consisting of industrial or residential properties.