AMP Capital repositions real estate business along specialist sectors

AMP Capital repositions real estate business along specialist sectors
Staff reporterDecember 7, 2020

AMP Capital’s Real Estate business has been realigned along specialist sectors, with new and expanded roles taken up by its leadership team.

It includes the creation of two new managing director roles for retail and office and logistics, accountable for fund, investment, property and development management for their specialist sectors.

Brett Williams has been appointed to the new role of managing director, retail.

Currently fund manager for the AMP Capital Diversified Property Fund (ADPF), Williams will lead AMP Capital’s entire retail platform including the shopping centres asset management platform as well as the wholesale pooled funds with retail exposure, the AMP Capital Shopping Centre Fund (ASCF), as well as ADPF.

Mark Kirkland will work closely with Williams under the new title of Head of Retail and will continue to be responsible for leading the retail asset management platform including the delivery of the retail development pipeline.

Luke Briscoe will take on the new and expanded role of Managing Director, Office & Logistics.

Briscoe will be accountable for the whole office and logistics platform including the AMP Capital Wholesale Office Fund (AWOF), and the investment, property, leasing and development management functions, as well as of some of real estate’s shared functions including Sustainability, EWHS and Asset Technology which work across the entire office, logistics and retail business platform.

Other changes to the Real Estate Leadership team include Merran Edwards appointed to the new role of Chief Financial Officer, Real Estate, where she will lead the finance, global strategy, business planning, strategic partnerships and risk functions.

Kylie O’Connor’s COO role will shift to be fund management focused which will see her taking on fund operations and governance, while leading one of the largest separate account businesses in the market, as well as private investor funds. To reflect this change, her title will change to Chief Operating Officer & Managing Director, Separate Accounts.

John Dynon will take on the role of Head of Origination & Capital where he will be accountable for sourcing new opportunities and placing capital for new and existing clients as well as overseeing the real estate transactions and distribution teams.

Global Head of Real Estate Carmel Hourigan said the new integrated sector specialisation structure and bolstered client focus will best enable AMP Capital to deliver for its clients and achieve its growth strategy.

As the overall business structure is now sector aligned, there have been some leadership changes and the role of Head of Real Estate Funds Management held by Chris Judd is no longer required.

Judd has had a distinguished career at AMP Capital and made a significant contribution to the business over the past 13 years. 

He has played a fundamental role in the governance, growth and management of the pooled fund and New Zealand portfolios and will work closely with the team on this transition and remain as a director on Precinct Properties until early 2020.

These changes will be effective 16 August 2019, and all of the above roles on the Real Estate Leadership team will report to Global Head of Real Estate & Chief Investment Officer, Carmel Hourigan.

AMP Capital is one of the largest and most experienced direct real estate fund managers in the Asia Pacific, with more than $28 billion in funds under management as at 30 June 2019.

AMP Capital offers institutional and private investors access to real estate equity and debt opportunities globally through a range of wholesale funds and separately managed solutions.

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