It’s official. Alan Jaffa transitioned to CEO of the property management firm Safeguard Properties. Safeguard’s founder and previous CEO, Robert Klein, will transition to chairman of the board. Both moves are effective immediately. Jaffa joined Safeguard in 1995. Four years later, he was appointed vice president of the company. In 2002, he was promoted to his most recent role, chief operating officer. “Alan has been directly responsible for managing the operations and leading the positive change within the organization for some time now and has been influential in Safeguard’s growth. As we prepare for the 20th anniversary of our founding in May, it is important to formalize Alan’s role as CEO to reflect the leadership he has already earned and demonstrated,” Jaffa said. Klein added that Safeguard will remain a privately held enterprise. Jaffa implemented quality control procedures, and adopted and developed new technologies for the company. Since his promotion in 2002, Safeguard revenues grew more than 500%, and the staff added more than 800 employees. Klein will continue to represent Safeguard with the industry, investors, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) and other trade organizations. “Robert set a great course, building Safeguard into an industry leader and will continue to drive initiatives that create industry collaboration,” said Jaffa. “We have a strong management team and the most qualified staff in the industry, and we will continue to build upon the great work of the team we have in place to help Safeguard’s clients meet the challenges ahead that face our industry.” Write to Jon Prior.