JLL Names Sumihiro Hiratsuka to Head Japan Funds Advisory Business

JLL today introduced Sumihiro Hiratsuka as its Head of Japan Global Funds Advisory, where he will be responsible for raising private capital and helping local investors to access offshore real estate opportunities, according to a statement by the international property consultancy.

Based in Tokyo, Hiratsuka is part of the Chicago-based company’s global funds advisory team which JLL has been ramping up in the Asia Pacific region since naming former Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing veteran Martijn van Eldik as Head of Funds Advisory for APAC in October last year.

Aiming to Serve Private Equity Investors

“Given the increased demand from Japanese investors in international investment opportunities, this is the ideal time to welcome Sumihiro on board,” says Mr van Eldik. “We believe that his background and expertise make him well-positioned to service our existing client base, and cultivate new relationships on navigating the global property investment market.”

In his new role, Hiratsuka will be reporting directly to van Eldik advises clients and partners regarding opportunities involving fund, partnership and joint venture real estate investments from JLL’s Tokyo office. The Gakushuin University graduate joins JLL from Mercer Investment Solutions Limited, where he led business development, focusing on acquiring new leads from both the private and institutional sectors.

Japan Appointment Follows US, SG and UK Hires

Mr Hiratsuka’s appointment follows JLL’s recent hire of Americas head of global funds advisory Jerry Cain who oversees private capital raising for fund clients, as well as Eugene Kim in Singapore and George Frauboes in London, who both joined the firm in March this year.

“We’re creating a strong, experienced global team of experts as part of our long term strategy to grow our capital raising and investment advisory capabilities globally. With rising capital allocations to real estate worldwide, we’re expanding our team in multiple locations to meet the growing demand from institutional investors by providing market-leading advice, expert project management and global distribution,” adds Mr van Eldik.

Hiratsuka has 26 years of experience in private real estate investments, asset management for financial institutions and pension funds, and has previously served at Deutsche Asset Management (Japan) Limited, BNP Paribas Securities (Japan) Limited and Invesco Asset Management (Japan) Limited, according to the company statement.