PropConnex Spotlight

Episode: Asset Management & Industrial Real Estate with Elena Seymour

In this episode of PropConnex Spotlight’s Behind the Role series, host Samara Issa speaks with Elena Seymour, Head of Asset Management at Centennial. With more than 17 years in commercial real estate across Brookfield and Charter Hall, Elena explains how Centennial creates value across its industrial portfolio and what asset management involves day to day.

In this episode, Elena covers:

• Centennial’s strategy of buying mispriced or undercapitalised assets in supply-constrained urban infill markets, and its in-house model across transactions, development and asset management
• Why asset management is one of the most misunderstood roles in property, and how it differs from property management
• What happens after acquisition: business plans, leasing, capital expenditure and delivering on the original investment thesis
• Why Centennial builds speculatively, and how a development pipeline helps retain tenants as they outgrow their space
• What makes industrial different today, from last mile logistics and automation to growing demand for power
• What the team looks for in an acquisition, from proximity to population centres and transport arterials to the quality of the slab
• How exit strategy differs between closed-ended and open-ended funds
• Her own career path, from Lendlease and a three-month contract at Brookfield during the GFC, to leading Charter Hall’s Queensland industrial platform from roughly $400M to over $4B
• Her advice for students: don’t get caught up on titles, focus on what a role will expose you to, ask questions, find a mentor, and back yourself

A great listen for anyone curious about how value is created after the deal is done, and how a non-linear career can lead somewhere unexpected.

PropConnex Spotlight Series |
Connecting students with Australia's commercial real estate industry.

Episode: Institutional Real Estate & Capital Management with Craig Newman

In this episode of PropConnex Spotlight's Behind the Role series, host Samarah Issa speaks with Craig Newman, Head of Institutional Client Services at Charter Hall. With a career spanning valuations, development, asset management and funds management, Craig shares an inside look at how one of Australia's largest capital management platforms — with $90B+ in funds under management — invests on behalf of institutional investors.

In this episode, Craig covers:

• Charter Hall's investment strategy across office, industrial, logistics, retail and social infrastructure
• The launch of CCRF, Australia's first wholesale convenience retail fund in 15 years, which has raised $3B+ to date
• The difference between institutional and retail investors, and what each is really looking for
• His own career path through valuations, development, asset management and funds management, and why he treats every pivot as an opportunity
• How Charter Hall approaches risk mitigation and investor trust in uncertain markets
• Why ESG is now entrenched across the Australian property market rather than a box-ticking exercise
• How Charter Hall is using AI internally to improve efficiency, from automating investor due diligence to freeing up teams for higher-value work
• His advice for students: say yes to opportunities, keep learning, and back yourself

A great listen for anyone curious about how institutional capital moves through Australian real estate, and what a career built on constant reinvention can look like.

PropConnex Spotlight Series |
Connecting students with Australia's commercial real estate industry.

Episode: Building Sydney's Skyline with Mark Tait, Group Executive & Head of Development at Investa

In this episode of Spotlight's Behind the Role series, host Samarah Issa sits down with Mark Tait, Group Executive and Head of Development at Investa Property Group, for a deep dive into what it actually takes to bring a major development to life — from first feasibility study to practical completion.

In this episode, Mark covers:

• His path from a civil engineering degree at UTS and site engineer on Sydney's Fox Studios (now the Entertainment Quarter), through a Masters of Property Development, to delivering the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Village
• The real difference between construction management and development management — and why development is roughly 80% planning, finance and structuring before a single brick is laid
• Behind-the-scenes stories from major Investa projects, including the complex heritage negotiation and design competition behind 60 Martin Place, built above St Stephen's Uniting Church
• Investa's expansion into build-to-rent, and how managing hundreds of individual residents differs from traditional office leasing
• How COVID-era disruption, geopolitical tensions, and construction cost inflation are reshaping how developers manage risk, contingency and pre-commitments
• Investa's long track record in sustainability and ESG — from early Green Star accreditation to fully electrified buildings becoming the market norm
• His advice for students: property is a people game, so don't underestimate relationships, financial literacy, and the legal and planning fundamentals behind every development

A must-listen for anyone curious about what really goes on behind a major development — long before construction ever begins.

PropConnex Spotlight Series |
Connecting students with Australia's commercial real estate industry.

Episode: Private Credit & Property Finance with Deborah Ford

In this episode of PropConnex Spotlight's Behind the Role series, host Samara Issa speaks with Deborah Ford, Executive Director of Loan Origination and Management at Centuria Bass. With over a decade of experience across institutions including Deutsche Bank, ANZ, and MaxCap, Deborah shares an inside look at the world of private credit — how it works, how it differs from bank lending, and what it takes to build a career in the space.

In this episode, Deborah covers:

• Her career path from a graduate program at NAB into institutional banking, and how she found her way into property lending roughly a decade ago
• The key differences between banks and non-bank lenders — including leverage limits, risk appetite, and speed of execution
• What private credit actually is, and how firms like Centuria Bass step in when banks pull back their lending parameters
• The end-to-end life of a loan: from broker introduction and term sheets, through due diligence and investment committee approval, to settlement
• The risk mitigation tools used in real estate lending, including mortgages, personal guarantees, and pre-sales benchmarks for construction deals
• How current market conditions — high interest rates, geopolitical uncertainty, and diverging conditions across Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth — are shaping lending decisions
• Her advice for students: build genuine interest in real estate, do your research, and let your passion for the industry come through in interviews and networking

A must-listen for anyone curious about how private credit fills the gap left by traditional bank lending, and what a career in loan origination and management really looks like day to day.

PropConnex Spotlight Series |
Connecting students with Australia's commercial real estate industry.

🎙️ Behind the Role | Declan Walsh –  Director of Real Estate Funds Management (QIC)

From Cambridge to Abu Dhabi to Brisbane — Building a Career in Real Estate Funds Management

What does it actually take to manage billions of dollars of other people's money — and turn abandoned office towers into thriving assets?

In this episode of Behind the Roll, host Samara Issa sits down with Declan Walsh, Director of Real Estate Funds Management at QIC, for a conversation that spans three continents and 18 years in the industry. From valuing property at JLL, to a Cambridge MPhil, to 12 years investing across Asia and the Middle East at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority — Declan's path is anything but linear, and that's exactly the point.

Inside this episode:

• 🏢 What a fund manager really does — and why fiduciary duty is the golden rule
• 🧬 Why QIC is betting on life sciences as Australia's next big real estate opportunity
• ♻️ Why ESG isn't a "nice to have" — it's a commercial necessity
• 🌍 The case for getting comfortable with discomfort (and moving overseas)
• 💡 The one question Declan asks every candidate he interviews — at every level
• 🎓 How to break into QIC through PropConnex, internships, and the 2027 grad program 

Whether you're a student weighing your first move in real estate or just curious what fund managers actually do all day, this episode is packed with hard-won, honest advice.

🎧 Listen on the go:
Spotify: PropConnex Spotlight
Apple Podcasts: PropConnex Spotlight

 🌐 Learn more about the QIC Graduate Program here: https://www.qic.com/About-QIC/Careers-and-Graduate-Program 

PropConnex Spotlight Series |Behind the role

PropConnex Spotlight Series |
Connecting students with Australia's commercial real estate industry.

🎙️ Behind the Role | Ashley Lane – Country Manager APAC, Forbury (Altus Group)

What does it take to lead one of the world's leading commercial real estate technology platforms across the Asia-Pacific region?

In this episode of PropConnex Spotlight: Behind the Role, we sit down with Ashley Lane, Country Manager APAC for Forbury, an Altus Group company, to explore his career journey, the evolution of commercial real estate technology, and how data and analytics are transforming the property industry.

Ashley shares insights into commercial real estate intelligence, the role of technology in valuation and investment decision-making, the impact of AI, and the skills students need to build a successful career in the industry.

🎧 Listen on the go:
Spotify: PropConnex Spotlight
Apple Podcasts: PropConnex Spotlight

PropConnex Spotlight Series |
Connecting students with Australia's commercial real estate industry.

Hannah Loxton is the Head of Private Capital at Wentworth Capital, a Real Estate Private Equity firm.  Wentworth focuses on investing across a variety of real estate asset classes, with private equity strategies across the portfolio. Wentworth looks for unique opportunities targeting assets with significant uplift opportunities. 

PropConnex Spotlight Series |
Connecting students with Australia's commercial real estate industry.

In this week's episode, Charlotte speaks with Amanda Steele, Group Executive Head of Property at ISPT, to explore her career journey, the industry’s evolution, and the role creativity plays in her daily work.

PropConnex Spotlight Series |
Connecting students with Australia's commercial real estate industry.

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of sitting down with Andrew Essey the Chief Investment Officer at Centuria Capital. Our conversation remains one of my favourites from throughout this project. I hope you enjoy learning about Andrew’s career and journey into the property industry as much as I did.  

#Propconnex #spotlight #property #investment 

PropConnex Spotlight Series |
Connecting students with Australia's commercial real estate industry.

Paul Say started his career in property in 1979 working as a property manager at Gray and Mulroney and studying as a real estate valuer. From there he went on to work at some of the biggest firms in the industry including JLL, Dexus, Lendlease and has a wealth of experience to share from his incredible career.

PropConnex Spotlight Series |
Connecting students with Australia's commercial real estate industry.