Chairman & CEO
Shaya Prager is the Chairman and CEO of Opal Holdings, which he founded in 2012. Shaya personifies Opal Holding’s commitment to the highest standards of quality, integrity, and value. With his stellar reputation, he consistently devises creative deal structures and closes complex transactions. He is engaged in all facets of the company’s operation, from overseeing acquisition, financing, and investor relations to asset management for the company.
Chief Financial Officer
Brian Haimm is the Chief Financial Officer of Opal Holdings, which he joined in 2019. Brian has over 30 years of financial experience in the real estate industry encompassing many sectors including office, multifamily, retail, hospitality and industrial. Prior to joining Opal, Brian was the Chief Financial Officer at Ascend Capital. Brian also serves on the Board of Directors for Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation, a publicly traded REIT. Brian has previously held financial positions at Winstar, Net2Phone, Softbank Holdings and Price Waterhouse.
Chief Operating Officer
Eric Zabarkus has over 20 years of real estate investment experience. Prior to joining Opal, Eric ran Acquisitions and Asset Management for Signature Acquisitions. He was responsible for closing transactions totaling over 3M square feet and $500 million in asset value. Eric has previously held positions with KBS Realty Advisors, Thor Equities, Rugby Realty and New Plan Realty Trust.
Senior Vice President of Acquisitions
Prior to joining Opal, Andrew was Director of Asset Management for MC Real Estate Partners where he oversaw leasing initiatives and operations for commercial office properties located along the east coast. Andrew began his career at Meritage Properties as an asset management and acquisitions associate.
Vice President of Accounting and Finance
Johanny is an accounting professional with over 10 years of experience. She began her career in 2006 as an on-site construction accountant with John Moriarty & Associates in Florida. Prior to joining Opal, Johanny was the Controller at Millennium Management, LLC in Florida, where she helped streamline accounting processes, improve internal control, and develop accounting systems. While at Millennium, Johanny also managed a diverse portfolio of commercial, residential, and construction properties as well as nursing homes and a mental health hospital. Johanny holds a BA in Accounting and Finance and is currently working on her Masters in Forensic Accounting.
Vice President of Financial Reporting
Michal Lebowitz has 18 years of private equity real estate accounting experience. Prior to joining Opal, Michal was a Controller at Meadow Partners for 10 years where she was responsible for finance, control, reporting, and compliance for opportunity and core-plus funds. From 2007- 2012 Michal was an Associate Vice President at Aetos Capital Asia where she was responsible for the accounting, financial reporting, and compliance functions of their opportunistic funds. Michal has previously held positions at Tishman Speyer as a Property Accountant and Ernst & Young as a Senior Auditor. Michal holds a B.A. in Accounting and Information Systems.
Senior Vice President, Business Development
Prior to joining Opal, Stuart was the director of business development for the Ghermezian family office. Stuart served in various roles focused on debt/equity partnerships, acquisitions, alternative finance solutions and strategic transactions. Throughout his tenure with Triple Five Stuart has been involved with the execution of over $3 billion of real estate related transactions. Stuart has previously held positions with Bank of New York and Ernst & Young.
Vice President, Business Development
Chao has extensive experience in private equity and real estate investments in both China and the US. As CEO at Beijing Zhenru Investment Management Co., Ltd., Chao was responsible for business strategy development and led investment and M&A projects including IT, financial services, education, real estate and oil & gas. Chao previously was the Director of Investment Banking for Guotai Junan Securities where he was responsible for deal sourcing, valuation, due diligence, negotiation, risk control and execution.
