IIFL Asset Management Co. (AMC) has appointed Amar Merani as head of real estate strategy. He will lead the team in managing investments and building the company’s client base.

Merani joins from Xander Finance, the non-banking financial company (NBFC) of Xander Group Inc., where he was the CEO since 2012.

Merani has over 25 years of work experience and was involved in fundraising, exits, and executing high-yield structured debt transactions at prominent firms. Before Xander, his previous stints included Kotak Investment Banking, Lazard India, IL&FS Infrastructure Finance and PwC.

With the emergence of Reits (Real estate investment trusts) as a new asset class, real estate offers tremendous growth potential. Amar’s rich experience coupled with deep understanding of both credit and equity, will further enhance our real estate offerings, IIFL AMC said.

“I’m delighted to take up this role to lead the real estate business at IIFL AMC, which is a leader in the AIF space and known for innovation. I look forward to working with the firm’s talented team to create differentiated products suited for the dynamic market environment," Merani said.