Home Property Australia People on the Move – 26 April 2016

People on the Move – 26 April 2016

  • April 26, 2016

People on the Move – 26 April 2016

Fallout from failed takeover bid for ILFML; Grocon announces replacement for Viney as CEO; Knight Frank expands Residential Project Marketing team in NSW and Queensland.

Ming Long (pictured) has resigned as fund manager of Investa Office Fund (IOF). The move follows the defeat of a takeover bid from DEXUS Property Group, which also saw several independent directors resign from the board of Investa Listed Funds Management Limited (ILFML). Long, who is also on the board of the Property Council of Australia, has been with Investa for 11 years, more recently as joint managing director and finance director for Investa Property Group and as IOF fund manager since 2014. Jason Leong, currently Investa’s chief operating office, will be acting IOF fund manager until a suitable replacement has been appointed.

The three independent directors of ILFML who have resigned are Deborah Page AM, Peter Rowe and Peter Dodd. All have been directors of ILFML since 2011, when ILFML was appointed responsible entity of IOF.  Richard Longes, Robert Seidler AM, John Fast and Geoff Kleemann have now been appointed to the board, with Richard Longes as chairman.

Executive director and chief operating office Craig Mitchell is leaving DEXUS Property Group to take up an appointment as chief executive officer of Grocon Pty Ltd. He will replace Carolyn Viney, who will step down in June. Mitchell joined DEXUS as chief financial officer in 2007 and was appointed to the board as an executive director in 2013. Prior to joining DEXUS Mitchell held senior positions at Stockland and Westfield.

Knight Frank has expanded its Residential Project Marketing team in Queensland and NSW. Sam Kandil has been appointed as head of Residential Project Marketing NSW. Kandil has 25 years’ experience in property, most recently as sales director, Project Marketing at Colliers International. Chris Litfin has been appointed as head of Residential Project Manager Queensland. Originally running the business for PRD Gold Coast, which became Colliers, Litfin went on to open his own business before joining CBRE to head up their project marketing team in Queensland.