Joe Parsons is president and CEO of the newly formed GE Global Investment Management division. His role is to provide the strategy to lead all of GE Real Estate’s Global Investment Management activities and to leverage its equity investing expertise to deliver returns that meet or exceed the expectations of global investors. GE Real Estate generated $18 billion in investment programs for GE in 2007.

Before taking on these responsibilities, Parsons was President of GE Real Estate’s North America Equity division, where he led a group of rapidly evolving real estate businesses stretching throughout the U.S. and Mexico. After his arrival at GE Real Estate in 2002, he transformed a $2.4 billion US portfolio into a diversified North America Equity investment portfolio of approximately $15 billion, with more than $25 billion in real estate assets under management. Under his leadership, GE Real Estate made one of its largest and most significant acquisitions ever — the $4.8 billion purchase of Arden Realty in 2005.

Throughout his career, Parsons has demonstrated the ability to recognize and unlock value in a changing marketplace while building a balanced business with consistent earnings growth. Before taking the helm at North America Equity, he was president and CEO of GE Equity, where he managed a $5 billion portfolio. Prior to that, he was President of GE Capital’s innovative E-Business group, and Vice President, Business Development, GE Capital. Earlier in his career, he was a managing director of corporate finance at KPMG Peat Marwick and had senior management responsibilities at Sovereign National Management and Merrill Lynch.

Parsons earned a master’s in business administration from the University of Arkansas and a bachelor of science in finance from the University of Connecticut.