This feature presents a weekly rundown of recent significant management and board changes and personnel moves in the North American real estate industry, including U.S. real estate investment trusts and homebuilders.

C-suite changes

* New Senior Investment Group named David Smith as executive vice president and CFO. The company also appointed Bhairav Patel as executive vice president of finance and accounting. The appointments are part of the management internalization of the company, and are effective Jan. 1, 2019.

Board shuffle

* Robert Legler, chairman of National Retail Properties Inc., retired Dec. 20 after serving as a director for 16 years and becoming chairman in April 2017. Don DeFosset, director since 2008, replaced Legler.

* Chatham Lodging Trust added Mary Beth Higgins as an independent director to its board of trustees. Higgins is the former CFO of VICI Properties Inc.

* Nontraded REIT Carey Watermark Investors Inc.'s board elected Simon Turner, former Starwood Hotels & Resorts executive, as a director, while Carey Watermark Investors 2 Inc. elected Katherine Lugar to its board. Lugar is the president and CEO of American Hotel and Lodging Association and will become the CEO of the American Beverage Association on Jan. 1, 2019.

* Bermuda-based Africa Growth Corp. added Barry Biniaris to its board. Biniaris is the principal co-founder of Spartan Fund Management Inc., a Canadian private wealth management fund.