Nuveen, Phoenix, GreenFort and Scape Explore Australia to Close Out Residential Forum

The fourth and final session of Mingtiandi’s APAC Residential Forum journeys to Australia on Thursday for a panel discussion examining the country’s investment market for living spaces.

Mingtiandi founder Michael Cole will host four experts on residential investment Down Under: Ben Taylor, director of housing for Asia Pacific at Nuveen Real Estate; Trent Winduss, partner and head of Australia investments and Asia structured debt investments at Phoenix Property Investors; Adam Vaggelas, partner at GreenFort Capital; and Stephen Gaitanos, managing director and group CEO of Scape Australia.

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 Thursday for registered Mingtiandi members. You may sign up to view via the link below.

The quartet of executives will unpack opportunities in Aussie housing markets, including build-to-rent projects and high-yielding niches such as student accommodation and senior living in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

Investment Insights

Taylor joined US-based fund manager Nuveen in March 2021 to take on responsibility for housing-related investment strategies in Australia and to contribute to the growth of these sectors more broadly within Asia Pacific. Previously he held various roles at AXA Investment Managers (and the former Eureka Funds Management) in Sydney for nearly a decade.

At Phoenix, Winduss is responsible for the origination and execution of all debt and equity investments made by the Hong Kong-based firm in Australia. Before joining Phoenix he served as a director of the real estate finance team at Qualitas Property Partners in Sydney.

Vaggelas, a founding partner of GreenFort Capital, oversees the overall strategic direction and operations of the Brisbane-based group. He previously worked for investment banks Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, as well as the City of Brisbane Investment Corporation.

Scape Australia co-founder Gaitanos is responsible for the purpose-built student housing owner-operator’s strategy across investment, capital transactions and M&A activities including financing and investor relations. He has 17 years of real estate investment, private equity and investment banking experience in Australia, Asia and Europe, having held positions with Morgan Stanley Real Estate, Merrill Lynch and Macquarie Bank.

Logistics, Hong Kong Upcoming

The Australia session closes the APAC Residential Forum, but Mingtiandi will return in May with the Asia Logistics Forum.

The five-part MTD TV series will let experts share their perspectives on logistics investment in Greater China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia. Previous sessions have featured interviews with industry leaders from GLP, Hines, LaSalle Investment Management, APG Asset Management, CPPIB and more.

And mark your calendar for Mingtiandi’s Hong Kong Forum on Tuesday, 27 June. The on-location event at the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel and Towers will bring market leaders together for a full day of discussions about the opportunities and challenges facing investors in the city’s real estate markets.