The ACREL Files - Christopher Merrill

Season 4 of the ACREL Files continues with Christopher Merrill, Co-Founder and Global Chief Executive Officer of Harrison Street Asset Management, interviewed by Jay Epstien.

Under Chris’s leadership, Harrison Street has grown into one of the world’s largest and most innovative investors in alternative real assets, managing more than $100 billion across real estate, infrastructure, and credit strategies. As Global CEO, Chris is responsible for the firm’s overall strategy, culture, and growth initiatives, pioneering new approaches to real assets investing and powering the next generation of opportunities across the platform.

Chris is a recipient of the Horatio Alger Award in 2025 and was named Industry Figure of the Year: Global by Private Equity Real Estate in 2022. He serves on multiple industry and nonprofit boards and holds a B.A from Roanoke College and an M.B.A. from Bayes (formerly Cass) Business School, London.