As Managing Partner of Childress Klein, Amy Klein Aznar provides executive leadership for the firm and directs its investment strategy and risk management. A Charlotte native, she joined CK in 2021 after more than two decades investing in real estate equity and debt for global institutional investors across the U.S. and Europe.

After earning an engineering degree from Princeton and an MBA in finance and real estate from Wharton, Amy began her career at Morgan Stanley Real Estate in New York. Roles with LaSalle Partners in Chicago and Jones Lang LaSalle in London followed, and as Managing Director of Global Principal Investments at Merrill Lynch, she led portfolio acquisitions in Italy and Germany.

She then spent more than 20 years in London building LaSalle Investment Management’s European debt and special situations business. When the 2008 financial crisis brought traditional deal-making to a halt, Amy moved the firm toward debt and special situations strategies, a shift that helped establish LaSalle in the real estate debt market. Over time she managed some of its largest funds, raised approximately €6.1 billion in capital commitments and joined its European and UK management boards.

That background now shapes her work at CK. Her experience in institutional investing, capital raising and risk management informs how the firm evaluates opportunities, structures investments and partners with investors. She also guides CK’s strategic planning and land development pipeline, including a land bank of more than 1,000 acres, with an eye on where the firm is headed next.

Throughout her career, Amy has built diverse teams and supported women in the industry; at LaSalle she chaired the European Diversity Board. Bisnow named her one of the 51 most influential women in UK real estate in 2018, and in 2021 she was recognized as one of the top 10 Women of Influence in private debt. She serves on the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees.