The GPT Group restructures, Lendlease makes changes and Sentinel appoints two directors to drive growth.
The GPT Group has made changes to its leadership team to reflect growth in its logistics portfolio, which now generates nearly a third of its revenue. Chris Davis has been appointed as head of logistics and will lead the integrated team, including the GPT QuadReal Logistics partnership. The office sector will become a separate business unit run by Martin Ritchie, who has grown what is now the largest wholesale office fund in Australia. Ritchie will lead GPT’s direct investments in the office sector and retain oversight of the GPT Wholesale Office Fund. Chris Barnett will continue as head of retail and mixed-use. Matthew Faddy and Nicholas Harris are leaving GPT. Faddy spent 15 years with GPT, the last six leading the group’s $12.billion office portfolio as head of office and logistics. He is taking a short break before starting a “new and exciting” challenge. Harris led the growth of GPT’s funds management platform since its inception. James Coyne, GPT’s general counsel and company secretary is also leaving GPT in April and will be replaced by AMP’s general counsel Marissa Bendyk.
Lendlease has undergone a restructure that has seen several key departures. After seven years with Lendlease, Simon Wild has established a new business, Andefena, which will focus on scenario planning for climate change. Wild was Lendlease’s group head of sustainability transformation for the last four years and was CEO of Cundall Australia for more than a decade. Lendlease’s head of commercialisation and asset management, Sally Harding, has also moved on after 11 years with the developer. She’s taken on a role with QIC Global Real Estate as head of alternative income.
Meanwhile, Lendlease has hired Daniel Fernandes as a sustainability manager for NSW and the ACT. Fernandes spent nearly three years with Built, and led the sustainability initiatives at Parramatta Square development.
Sentinel has announced two new appointments to support the delivery of its anticipated $1 billion development pipeline. Melbourne-based Anthony Cuzzupi joins as project director while Owen Altham takes on the role of development manager. Cuzzupi, who managed his own property consultancy practice and was a senior development manager with Lendlease, will manage the development of Sentinel’s projects in the eastern states. Altham was previously with Astina Group and APP Corporation. Also helping to steer Sentinel’s Australian expansion is Ninghao Ho, who spent 10 years directing the company’s Singapore team, and who recently relocated to Sydney to drive acquisitions and investor services.
Amy Brown has been appointed Secretary of the newly formed NSW Government Department of Enterprise, Investment and Trade. The Department will report to Minister Stuart Ayres, and will include the following agencies: Investment NSW, Destination NSW, Western Parkland City Authority and Create NSW.
Marcus Andrews joined national law firm, Piper Alderman, as a real estate partner in Sydney last month. Andrews, a former principal with McCabes, joins the national real estate team in Sydney with partners Richard Abbott and Margot King. The national team led by Mark Askin and Adam Rinaldi now boasts 11 partners. The firm has also welcomed a new planning and environment team in the Sydney office, comprising partner Paul Vergotis, special counsel Alicia Chryssochoides and a foreign legal associate.
Peta Tilse is Cromwell Property Group’s new head of retail funds management. Tilse, who brings 25 years of experience to the role, is tasked with growing the business across Australia. She was previously a private client adviser at UBS Wealth Management and director at Goldman Sachs JB Were.
Greg Chubb has resigned from Charter Hall to take up a senior operations post with Hong Kong-listed Link REIT. Charter Hall has replaced Chubb as retail chief executive with Ben Hall. Chubb, who previously held leadership roles with Lendlease and Mirvac, will oversee Link REIT’s asset management, leasing, and corporate functions, as well as operations in Australia, the United Kingdom, and other Asia locations, excluding China and Hong Kong.
Julie Townsend will oversee ESG strategy and implementation for PGIM Real Estate – the real estate unit of Prudential’s US$1.5 trillion asset management business. Townsend was with CBRE for 15 years, most recently as head of environmental consultancy.
Chairman of Dexus Asset Management Limited (DXAM), Geoff Brunsdon, is retiring and handing the baton to Jennifer Horrigan. DXAM is responsible for ASX-listed Dexus Industria REIT and Industria Company No. 1 Limited. Brunsdon spent 12 years as an independent director and nine years as chairman.
Jenna Wallace will lead CBRE’s Pacific transaction management and portfolio services team. Wallace has worked in CBRE’s New Zealand business for the past four years, and was account director for CBRE’s biggest NZ global workplace solutions client. She will move to Sydney mid-year and will assist clients with portfolio management and reporting, cost reduction, driving profitability and mitigating risk.
Former secretary of the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet, Tim Reardon, has joined PwC as national transport and precincts leader. Reardon will lead the team delivering end-to-end advisory services for infrastructure projects.
Thomas McGlynn is the new CEO of independent Sydney real estate group, BresicWhitney. Group founder and veteran agent Shannan Whitney will remain at the head of the transactional roster. The company has just concluded its most successful year to date, with more than $2.6 billion in total sales.
JLL’s hotels and hospitality group has a new vice president in the Queensland pubs team: Christian Tsalikis. Moving across from Savills, where he was associate director, Tsalikis has 10 years of topline agencies. JLL transacted more than $1.6 billion in hotels last year.