NEW YORK, January 15, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. (NYSE: GPMT) ("GPMT," "Granite Point" or the "Company") today announced that Patrick Halter and Lazar Nikolic have been appointed to the Company’s Board of Directors, effective immediately. Mr. Halter will serve on the Compensation Committee and Mr. Nikolic will serve on the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. With the additions of Mr. Halter and Mr. Nikolic, the Granite Point Board now comprises eight directors, seven of whom are independent.
"We are pleased to welcome two new highly qualified independent directors to the Granite Point Board," said Stephen Kasnet, Chairman of the Granite Point Board of Directors. "Pat’s experience building and growing a preeminent commercial real estate investment management business will be tremendously valuable to the Board, as will Lazar’s investment background in various real estate asset classes and his perspective as a large shareholder. These appointments reflect our commitment to regularly enhancing and refreshing the Board to ensure it is best positioned to advance our shareholders’ interests. We look forward to benefiting from the new directors’ insights as Granite Point navigates the current environment and pursues opportunities to drive profitable growth and shareholder value creation."
"I have known and admired Granite Point’s CEO, Jack Taylor, for decades. I’m excited to join the Board and help the Company build on its resilient business model and momentum to capture growth opportunities as the market recovers," said Mr. Halter.
"As one of Granite Point’s significant shareholders, I believe in the value of the business and am confident in the opportunities ahead," said Mr. Nikolic. "I appreciate the Board’s constructive engagement with shareholders and am eager to work with my fellow board members in furthering shareholder value."
About Patrick Halter
Patrick Halter is a veteran real estate investment leader who spent more than four decades in various leadership positions with Principal Financial Group, most recently serving, from 2018 to 2024, as President and CEO of Principal Asset Management, its global investment management business, then managing over $650 billion in assets. In that role, he was responsible for overseeing globally the firm’s operations, and its investment and distribution teams. Halter was previously Chief Operating Officer of Principal Global Investors and served on the Board of Principal’s fourteen investment teams. He also served on the Principal Mutual Fund Board and held board responsibilities with various international ventures. Prior to that, Halter was the Chief Executive Officer and Senior Executive Director of Principal Real Estate Investors from 2003 to 2016, where, under his leadership, he and his team built it to a top 10 global real estate manager.
About Lazar Nikolic
Lazar Nikolic is a seasoned real estate investment expert with over two decades of industry experience. Mr. Nikolic co-founded JPL Advisors in 2016 and serves as a Managing Member overseeing the firm’s portfolio management, investment analysis and risk management with a focus in mortgage REITs, equity REITs, closed end funds business development companies, specialty finance companies and special situations. Prior to founding JPL, Mr. Nikolic was a portfolio manager at Adler & Co from 2009 to 2015. He began his career as a software engineer at Bloomberg LP. Mr. Nikolic previously served on the Board of Directors of Front Yard Residential.
About Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc.
Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. is a Maryland corporation focused on directly originating, investing in and managing senior floating rate commercial mortgage loans and other debt and debt-like commercial real estate investments. Granite Point is headquartered in New York, NY. Additional information is available at www.gpmtreit.com.
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