Savills Names Former Knight Frank Exec Neil Brookes to Lead APAC Capital Markets

Savills has made its fourth senior hire in Asia Pacific in as many months, with the London-based agency naming former Knight Frank global capital markets head Neil Brookes as executive managing director with its Asia Pacific capital markets team.

Based in Singapore, Brookes will link Savills’ APAC capital markets capabilities with the group’s global network, the London-based agency said in a release on Monday.

“Asia Pacific is entering a pivotal phase, with transaction volumes set for a meaningful upswing. Investors are seeking cross-border strategies that combine local intelligence with global execution,” said Martin Fidden, chief executive of Savills’ Asia Pacific business outside of Greater China. 

The appointment comes after Savills in July added new leadership in Australia during July and named a new head of living sector advisory in September.

Cross-Border Veteran

“Savills has the global brand, regional depth, and data-driven capabilities to lead in this space,” said Brookes. “With a robust existing track record of transacting more than $150 billion for clients over the last five years, I’m excited to harness Savills capability on behalf of clients and help drive the next chapter of growth.”

Brookes brings more than 20 years of experience advising private wealth, sovereign wealth funds, private equity firms and global institutions, and has brokered over $15 billion in cross-border transactions, according to the statement.

He served until recently as global head of capital markets and head of capital markets for Asia Pacific with Knight Frank while based in Singapore, and spent a total of 12 years with the UK-based property agency.

During his time at Knight Frank, Brookes is said to have been involved in transactions including the disposal of 127 Creek Street in Brisbane and 80 Grenfell Street in Adelaide for Blackstone, and the sale of 52 Goulburn Street in Sydney on behalf of Credit Suisse.

Brookes also served on the management board of a Knight Frank alliance with real estate investment bank Berkadia.

Before relocating to Singapore, Brookes was an equity partner at McVay Real Estate in Australia and served as a director with the international investments team at CBRE for more  than five years.

Brookes served an earlier stint with Savills from 2006 through 2008, relocating from London to Sydney as a director with the firms’ international investment team, according to his LinkedIn profile. 

Enhanced Team

Brookes’ appointment comes two months after Savills announced that it had hired Emily Fell as a senior director leading services to clients in the living sector for the company’s Asia Pacific capital markets team. Also based in Singapore, Fell spent more than 13 years with Knight Frank before joining Savills in September.

In July Savills introduced Paul Roberts as its chief executive for Australia and New Zealand and Ben Schubert as national head of capital transactions and advisory for Australia, with both hires coming from Knight Frank.

In March the property consultancy said that it had recruited Eiichiro Onozawa, a former president and CEO of Nippon Building Fund Management (manager of Japan’s largest REIT) as chief executive and representative director of its Japan business.