Originally from Austin, Texas, Brian Kaufman is a Managing Director in the Real Estate Group at Blackstone. Prior to Blackstone, Brian was the Managing Partner of The Kaufman Companies, a privately held hospitality investment, development and asset management group in the U.S. and Europe. He previously worked at Highgate Capital Investment as Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and at Goldman Sachs & Co in the Real Estate Principal Investment Area. In March 2019, he was awarded the IHIF and ISHC Young Leader Award at the International Hotel Investment Forum in Berlin. Brian moved to New York after receiving a B.S. from Cornell University, where he was two-time All-Ivy League and Captain of the Varsity baseball team. He serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Cornell Nolan School and on the Board of Cornell Nolan’s Center for Real Estate and Finance. Brian is involved in various Jewish organizations and charities and serves as the Vice President of The Altneu Synagogue in New York City.