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CoStar Group taps Christian Lown of Freddie Mac as new finance chief

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CoStar Group has hired Freddie Mac Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Christian M. Lown as its new CFO. Lown will continue his position with Freddie Mac until June 28, according to an announcement.

Christian Lown | Credit: Freddie Mac

“I’m thrilled to join CoStar Group, which I’ve always held in high esteem for its incredible trajectory from startup to market leader in commercial real estate data and online real estate marketplaces,” Lown said in a statement. “Joining CoStar Group is a career honor, and I am very much looking forward to driving it forward with the rest of the senior management team to even greater heights.”

Lown has nearly 30 years of experience in banking and real estate finance, with high-level roles at Navient, Morgan Stanley, UBS, Credit Suisse, CITIC CLSA and Peregrine Holdings. Lown earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Lynchburg and his master’s degree from The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

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During his four-year tenure at Freddie Mac, Lown handled the company’s financial controls, accounting, ESG strategy, investor relations, financial planning and reporting, tax, capital oversight and compliance, pulling the company out of a pandemic-induced financial slump.

Lown will have similar responsibilities at CoStar Group, alongside the task of expanding the company’s financial operations team through robust recruitment and retention efforts.

CoStar Group founder and CEO Andy Florance said Lown is “the right person” to lead the company’s financial operations team, and will provide invaluable experience as Homes.com grows its reach in the residential homebuying market.

“He brings an unparalleled understanding of M&A, capital markets and corporate finance and, through his time at Freddie Mac, an intricate knowledge of the homebuying market at a time when our Homes.com platform is experiencing exponential growth,” he said. “I look forward to working with him to make CoStar Group even stronger in the years ahead.”

Email Marian McPherson