Real estate business Prologis has appointed deputy general counsel Deborah Briones as its next chief legal officer, replacing Ed Nekritz who is retiring after nearly 30 years with the company.

Briones has been with Prologis for almost two decades and currently leads the corporate, energy, mobility, essentials and Latin America legal teams and its government affairs initiatives. As CLO and GC, she will oversee strategy and execution of all legal matters for its global business, as well as corporate governance, legal operations, compliance and litigation.

San Francisco-headquartered Prologis is a logistics-focused real estate company, owning warehouses, distribution centres and other supply chain logistics assets.

The company is also promoting Nathaalie Carey to chief human resources officer at the same time.

Hamid Moghada, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Prologis, said: “We are excited to welcome Deborah and Nathaalie to our senior management team. They are both experienced leaders and subject matter experts who will help the company continue to rapidly grow – both from a profit and talent perspective.”

Prior to joining Prologis in 2004, Briones spent five years as a corporate attorney at Latham & Watkins in San Francisco. She originally joined Prologis as an associate counsel before becoming associate GC in 2011 and then deputy GC in August 2022.

Briones will replace Nekritz at the start of next year, though Nekritz will stay on as a senior advisor through 2025. He originally joined as the company’s first lawyer and GC, helping grow the legal department and play a key role in the company’s M&A activities over those three decades. He also spearheaded its community initiatives as president of the Prologis Foundation.

Moghadam said: “Ed has been an integral part of our company’s growth over the years. He was one of the Prologis leaders who helped steer the organisation through the global financial crisis, putting the company in a position to combine with AMB in 2011 in a transformational merger.”

Prior to joining Prologis, Nekrtiz was an attorney at Mayer Brown in Chicago where he started his career.

He said: “It’s been an honour to serve as the chief legal officer and general counsel for 30 years and be part of the team that has built the best real estate business on the planet. I have been privileged to work with people who bring innovation, integrity and passion to everything they do.”