Chris Balestra
President & CIO
Taconic Partners
Chris is President and Chief Investment Officer at Taconic. He also leads Taconic’s Acquisitions team. As President, Chris oversees corporate matters across the firm. As Chief Investment Officer, he is responsible for all aspects of Taconic’s acquisition businesses and investments. With 18 years of real estate investment experience, Chris has led or been directly involved in the acquisition of over $5 billion of real estate while at Taconic, all in New York City. He is also responsible for deal sourcing and structuring, and oversees all of Taconic’s debt and equity financings, as well as fundraising and rezoning initiatives.
Prior to joining Taconic in 2005, Chris was a Bank Officer at M&T Bank where he was responsible for underwriting and sourcing commercial real estate loan opportunities in the New York City metropolitan area. Chris earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Colgate University and until recently served on the Board of Directors of Vibrant Emotional Health, a non-profit mental health advocacy and educational organization.