Presima, the boutique fund manager that is closely aligned with National Australia Bank, has announced a new chief executive.

Peter Zabierek assumes the top role after Nick Basile relinquishes his position in April. Basile, who remains a member of the board of directors, has been acting CEO since April 2012. 

Zabierek brings over 23 years of industry experience, including 15 years specialising on the global real estate investment trust market. Prior to Presima, he was managing director and co-head of global real estate securities at Urdang Capital Management in Philadelphia. He has also worked for the likes of Morgan Stanley and Salomon Smith Barney.

Presima is headquartered in Montreal but is part of NAB's direct asset management business, nabInvest. This firm managed A$96 billion ($99 billion) in assets as of 31 December 2012.