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Stephen A. Horn Jr.

Stephen A. Horn Jr. is president and CEO of NNN REIT, the publicly traded net-lease real estate investment trust formerly known as National Retail Properties. He leads a company that buys and owns properties leased primarily to retail tenants under long-term net leases. Horn joined NNN in 2003 and moved through acquisitions and operating leadership before becoming CEO in April 2022.

Updated

Career

Horn began his career in mergers and acquisitions at A.G. Edwards & Sons. He joined NNN as vice president of acquisitions in 2003, became senior vice president of acquisitions in 2008, and served as executive vice president and chief acquisition officer from 2014 to 2020. He then became chief operating officer before taking the president and CEO roles in April 2022. NNN's current leadership profile also lists him on its board of directors.

What Defines His Tenure

Horn's progression is unusually concentrated inside one net-lease platform: he spent 17 years in acquisitions before moving into the COO role and then the CEO position. NNN's first-quarter 2026 investor presentation reports 22 years of company tenure for Horn and describes a portfolio strategy built around single-tenant properties leased to retail and other commercial tenants. Those company-wide figures describe the platform he leads; they should not be read as transactions personally completed by Horn.

Focus

Horn's career at NNN has centered on acquiring and operating net-lease properties. That experience spans the company's acquisitions function, day-to-day operations, and executive leadership. NNN reports that its model is based on owning properties leased to national and regional tenants; the company profile does not attribute specific acquisitions to Horn personally.

Related Pages

  • Investor People Hub
  • National Investor Benchmarks Hub
  • NNN REIT
  • REIT Landscape
  • Source: Top 200 Global CRE People and Families

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