AEW, Varsity, JLL and Greenberg Traurig to Join Japan Multi-Family Panel on Tuesday

Japan accounted for more than half of sales of rental apartment markets in 2022, and a quartet of experts will share their insights into the country’s multi-family investment market during Tuesday’s session of the Mingtiandi APAC Residential Forum.

Mingtiandi founder Michael Cole will host a panel discussion with Jason Lee, managing director, senior portfolio manager, CIO and head of private equity for Asia Pacific at AEW; Rushabh Desai, CEO of Varsity Group Asia Pacific; Paul Davis, senior director and co-lead of international clients for Japan capital markets at JLL; and Joel H Rothstein, shareholder and chair of the Asia real estate practice at Greenberg Traurig.

The one-hour session, which is sponsored by Yardi, will be viewable free of charge on Mingtiandi’s MTD TV video platform at 10am Hong Kong time on Tuesday for registered Mingtiandi members. You may sign up to view via the link below.

The four panellists will discuss how rising urbanisation and an ageing population have fuelled investment in Asia’s most developed multi-family market in recent years, offering a chance to develop new projects and explore alternative segments within the asset class.

Experts Weigh In

AEW’s Lee is responsible for implementing strategies including sourcing, structuring and underwriting of new investment opportunities in Asia Pacific for the Boston-based real estate investment management firm. He has 26 years of real estate investment experience, including as a director of Merrill Lynch’s Asia Opportunistic Real Estate Fund and the Global Principal Investments Group.

Desai, the former Asia Pacific CEO of Allianz Real Estate, recently set up Singapore-based Varsity Group with Stephen Gaitanos and Craig Carracher, the co-founders of rental housing developer Scape Australia. Varsity’s fund management business will target high-growth alternative real estate sectors in Asia Pacific, with Desai drawing on his experience leading some of the largest investments in Japan rental housing during his time with Allianz.

JLL’s Davis is responsible for providing investment and structuring advice to international investors on major real estate transactions in Japan. He joined the global property consultancy this year after 11 years at international law firm Morrison & Foerster in Singapore and Japan.

Rothstein is an international real estate and structured finance lawyer at Greenberg Traurig, where he advises clients across all major Asia markets with a focus on Japan, Greater China and South Korea. He also leads the firm’s practice in advising Asia-based outbound investors on equity and debt investments into the US, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

Australia Residential Next

The APAC Residential Forum concludes Thursday, 23 March, with a panel discussion on residential investment in Australia.

To find out more about the residential space Down Under as the sector grows in importance for institutional investors, Mingtiandi will welcome experts from Nuveen, Phoenix Property Investors, GreenFort Capital and Scape.

Four top executives will unpack opportunities in mainstream build-to-rent projects, as well as in high-yielding niche sectors such as student accommodation and senior living in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.