Our Team - Hillcrest Company

Principals

Fred Afari

Chief Executive Officer

As Hillcrest’s CEO, Fred is tasked with ensuring the longevity of the firm through a measured, disciplined and holistic investment thesis. He has been a leader in real estate development and management for more than four decades through multiple cycles and market shifts in a career including over $1 billion of transactions across the firm’s portfolio.

Fred is a Board Member of the Historic Downtown Los Angeles Business Improvement District and a supporter of various charitable organizations, including the Magbit Foundation, the Neuromuscular Disease Foundation, ETTA Israel, and the Hope Foundation of IAJC. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Master’s in Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Juris Doctorate from University of La Verne School of Law.

Ryan Afari

Director of Acquisitions

As the Director of Acquisitions of Hillcrest, Ryan leads a team dedicated to innovative design, aligned equity investments, strong financial partnerships, and expertise in municipal processes.

Ryan is a graduate with honors of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration with a minor in Real Estate and a concentration in Corporate Finance. He began his career as an acquisition analyst at Prudential Insurance’s real estate private equity division, where he led over $2 billion of transactions across all asset classes and strategies.

Ryan has a passion for non-profit and political work in the City of Los Angeles. He has served as the Head of Planning and Land Use for the Downtown LA Neighborhood Council, a board member of the Downtown LA Historic Core BID, a board member of the Echo Park Improvement Association, a board member of the Echo Park Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Echo Park BID formation committee, and a board member of Materials & Applications – a public art non-profit committed to building free and accessible public art installations to all LA area residents.

Meet the Team