Luke Achterstraat joins the Property Council as NSW executive director, BGIS acquires AREA3, Rebecca Mikula-Wright is the Investor Group on Climate Change’s new CEO and TMX nabs Stefanie Frawley.
Luke Achterstraat joins the Property Council as executive director in New South Wales. Achterstraat has been a government relations consultant, led a successful disruptive start-up talent placement company, worked for two federal ministers and was an adviser to a mining industry body. Achterstraat will take the reins on 9 August from deputy executive director Lauren Conceicao, who has been acting in the role following Jane Fitzgerald’s promotion as Property Council chief operating officer.
BGIS has acquired AREA3, a niche provider of strategic advisory, development consulting, project management and project delivery services. Managing director Charles Penny will continue to lead the business and deliver on its growth plans, which includes data centres, hospitals, heavy rail infrastructure, commercial office fitouts, childcare facilities and telecommunication exchanges. AREA3 has staff located in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane. BGIS is a global facility, asset management and real estate services firm with more than 30,000 facilities managed equating to 31 million square metres globally.
Rebecca Mikula-Wright is the new chief executive officer of the Investor Group on Climate Change, a group that represents $2 trillion in funds under management in Australia and New Zealand and around $20 trillion globally. Mikula-Wright has been executive director with the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change for the last five years and will continue in that role, managing the two organisations that share a governance structure. Mikula-Wright replaces Emma Herd, who now heads up a new climate-focused sustainability practice with EY.
Digital and supply chain solutions consultancy TMX has nabbed Colliers’ former national director of occupier services, Stefanie Frawley. As a director of property, Frawley will lead the firm’s new portfolio management services. With an extensive career in industrial property, Frawley will work alongside TMX’s executive director of property, Justin Fried, and recent recruit Michael Simpson, who was appointed property portfolio consultant from Mirvac. Frawley will be supported by TMX’s 160-person team and 15-person strong property team across the Asia-Pacific region.
Amit Sheshinski has joined Deutsche Bank’s origination and advisory team as head of real estate coverage for Australia. Sheshinski was executive director for real estate with Morgan Stanley for seven years, supporting clients including Blackstone, Lendlease and Stockland.
After stepping down from the top job at AMP Capital, Adam Tindall has joined the board of Stockland. Tindall, announced his retirement last year after five years at CEO of AMP Capital. He held several roles at AMP Capital including chief investment officer for property. He also worked at Macquarie Capital and Lendlease.
AMP Capital’s head of market solutions for its multi-asset group, Lydia Serafim, is leaving after more than two decades. Serafim has been with the multi-asset group since 2008, moving across from AMP Capital’s fixed interest team.
Cromwell has appointed the chief executive of US-based Silver City Properties to its board. Jialei Tang has led Silver City Properties since 2019 where she oversees the investment and management of properties in New York. She is currently involved in the acquisition and planning of seaport terminal real estate, development of new Singapore headquarters for UBS and a residential complex in Singapore. Tang’s appointment follows that of non-executive directors Rob Blain and Ooi Eng Peng. Earlier this year, Cromwell promoted Chris Hansen to lead development with responsibility for Australian and European projects. Cromwell has an Australian portfolio valued at $3 billion and total assets under management of $11.6 billion across Australia, New Zealand and Europe.
Nicole Green and Jennifer Cook are new non-executive directors of Centura Capital Group’s listed flagship office and industrial trusts, respectively. Green is currently Minter Ellison’s infrastructure industry leader and a partner in its projects, infrastructure and construction division. Cook is managing director of commercial property consultancy, Customer 360, and has held previous real estate roles with AMP Capital, AECOM and the Urban Development Institute of Australia in Queensland. Centuria is absorbing West Coast-based Primewest to create a listed real estate fund with $16 billion of assets under management.
Colliers has strengthened its North Sydney office leasing team with the appointment of Kellie Hatch as director. Hatch joins Colliers following a 23-year career with Knight Frank. Hatch has an impressive client base including Altis Property Partners, Frasers Property Australia, Wesfarmers Limited and Elegant Group.
Antoinette Rusby-Perera has joined the Property Industry Foundation with responsibility for corporate partnerships and philanthropy. Rusby-Perera was a long-time member of the Property Council team.
Tom Iredell joins the Knight Frank industrial logistics team as an associate director, while Jonathan Wong takes on the role of senior retail sales and leasing executive. Iredell commenced his property career in 2015 as a valuer with CBRE before transitioning to industrial sales and leasing. Wong has worked in the WA property market since 2013 in varied roles.