Greystar, Warburg, Local and Kio to Bring Australian Living Insights to Singapore Forum

A panel of experts will discuss how investors are achieving returns across the evolving Australian living sector as part of the Mingtiandi Singapore Forum on 13 May.

Investment in Australia’s commercial residential segment, which includes build-to-rent and purpose-built student accommodation, fell 64 percent last year to A$1.1 billion (now $710 million), according to MSCI. Much of the total came from Japanese investors who allocated A$300 million to commercial residential, the data tracker said.

To illuminate opportunities as the market looks to rebound, moderator Nick Wilson of Oxford Economics will hold a wide-ranging chat with representatives from US apartment giant Greystar, private equity major Warburg Pincus and Australian BTR specialists Local Residential and Kio Investment Management.

The discussion is part of a series of expert-led talks at the full-day event, which is sponsored by Yardi and takes place at the Conrad Centennial Hotel in Singapore. More than 45 speakers are due to take the stage at the event, with over 250 executives expected to attend. Tickets to the forum are still available at the link above.

Residential Roundup

The panellists include Bianca Solomons, managing director for Australia at Greystar, which last November opened a 700-unit development in Melbourne as the country’s largest build-to-rent property and the company’s first BTR project Down Under. South Carolina-based Greystar also closed recently on a A$1.6 billion ($1 billion) student housing acquisition, giving the group seven university-linked properties and a foothold in the country’s other red-hot living segment.

Joining Solomons will be Andrew Fitzpatrick, a principal in the real estate group at Manhattan-based Warburg Pincus, which last year made a A$490 million commitment to a private credit strategy targeting Australia’s residential real estate sector.

Also along for the chat is Matt Berg, co-CEO of Local Residential, a Macquarie-backed platform with a project pipeline of more than 1,600 apartments under management across four sites in Melbourne.

Last but not least is Sam Bisla, founder and managing director of Kio Investment Management, which has raised capital, launched and invested in BTR and studio living strategies to create a combined portfolio with an end value of A$1 billion.

Six Days Away

In addition to the Australian living session, a keynote panel will feature Oxford Properties’ Asia Pacific head Alessandro Fiascaris, George Agethen of CDPQ, Knight Frank Singapore chief executive Galven Tan and Hilton Asia Pacific president Alan Watts for a look at the biggest challenges facing the real estate sector in the year of trade wars and tariffs.

Also on the schedule are panels on student housing, hospitality, Asia Pacific industrial and infrastructure assets, Singapore’s role as a global capital hub, India investment opportunities and residential investment across Asia Pacific.

Mingtiandi will also interview top industry executives on stage, including a spotlight session with Nicholas Bischoff, chief executive of Stonepeak-backed logistics specialist Equalbase, who will be appearing together with Jon Sim, investment director of the company’s Northmod fund management affiliate.

Another interview will feature Bart Price, the newly minted CEO of Vita Partners Real Assets, a life sciences real estate joint venture between Warburg Pincus and Lendlease. Joining Price will be Warburg Pincus principal Tag Yuxiang, who developed the Vita Partners venture from its early stages, and CBRE consultant Rimon Ambarchi, who advised the JV on its purchase of a $1.2 billion Singapore portfolio from a Blackstone partnership late last year.

A third interview will bring on stage Stephen Gaitanos, founder, group CEO and managing director of Asia Pacific’s largest student accommodation provider Scape, for a discussion of the future of Australia’s residential market and how investors can benefit from helping to address the country’s housing challenges.

Full details of the event are available on Mingtiandi here.