The Interview Australia

Our special guest on this episode is Michael Streicker, President of New York Headquartered, Global Investment powerhouse Sentinel Real Estate Corporation.



Founded in 1969, Sentinel is a highly-respected, independently-owned real estate investment management firm with a portfolio of assets valued in excess of $13.5bn (AUD) and managed on behalf of over a hundred domestic & international clients.

For over fifty years, the firm has built an enviable reputation for delivering outstanding results to it’s investor base, drawn from the knowledge & expertise of more than seven-hundred-and-fifty industry specialists who manage some 27,500 apartment units & over 5 million square feet of commercial real estate spread across three continents including North America, Europe & Australia.

The business is renowned as a global leader in the multi-family / BTR sector, establishing it’s maiden investment in 1976 and cementing it’s expertise through involvement in over six-hundred multi-family communities comprising some 154,000 units.

Closer to home, Sentinel’s operations in Australia have increased substantially since it first begun laying the foundations in 2011, becoming the first group to have a fully operational BTR community known as Element 27, which was successfully launched in Perth in Spring 2019.

Since then, the business has expanded rapidly, with construction underway on a 172-apartment project in Victoria & the recent acquisition of a proposed 300-apartment project in Queensland forming part of it’s broader $1.5bn BTR fund in Australia.

With regard to his professional life, Michael is the President of Sentinel Real Estate Corporation and sits on the firm’s Executive Committee & Investment Committee’s - he is a Graduate of both Princeton University (AB Degree) and the Columbia Business School (MBA).

Our discussion with Michael explores the origins & evolution of the Sentinel Real Estate Corporation business, it’s expansion into international markets including Australia, the fundamentals for successful multi-family / BTR development & his long-term outlook for both the Australian and US commercial property markets.

Our special guest on this episode is Billionaire Mr. Robert Millner, Chairman of publicly listed, diversified investment group, Washington H. Soul Pattinson.

Unquestionably one of Australia’s oldest & most successful integrated businesses, Washington H. Soul Pattinson’s roots date back to Sydney in 1872 prior to becoming incorporated & listed on the stock exchange in 1903.

Through considered, long-term & strategic decision-making implemented throughout the course of its history by multiple generations of family leadership, Soul Patt’s has remarkably delivered a dividend to its shareholders, every year, for over one-hundred-and-twenty years - cementing its reputation in Australian corporate history & reinforcing its $10bn plus market capitalisation.

WHSP’s existing portfolio includes varied interests across the telecommunications, financial services, pharmaceutical, property, private equity & energy industries to name a few, with substantial stakes in key businesses including TPG Telecom, Brickworks Limited, New Hope Group, Apex Healthcare & Pitt Capital Partners.

On a personal level, Robert was born in Sydney (Beecroft) in 1950 before enrolling at Newington College, a boarding school in Sydney’s Inner South-West he attended from the age of eight until his graduation in 1968.

Over the course of the next fifteen or so years, Robert worked briefly as a stockbroker for a period of two years, before returning to his father Tom’s family farm in Cowra and spending the next thirteen or so years working the land prior to joining the family business, Soul Patt’s as a director in 1984 - a business he has been intimately involved in through a number of Board positions ever since.

Our exclusive feature profile of Robert unpacks his upbringing, the evolution of the Washington H. Soul Pattinson business, his investment philosophy, the macro-trends that drive markets & the fundamentals required for sustainable success on both a personal & professional level.

As a follow-on to our profile of Charles Goode AC and the Flagstaff Partners business in 2022, we’re fortunate to have the opportunity to again be joined by Charles on today’s episode, albeit in an environment that features vastly different political, geo-political and economic overlays than twelve months ago.

Our special guest on this episode is Audette Exel AO, Chair & Founder of Adara Group.

Audette is unquestionably one of Australia’s leading business & philanthropic figures, having been intimately involved in a diverse range of corporations for over four decades including within the legal, finance, banking and corporate advisory spheres.

Through determination & an extraordinary appetite for social activism, Audette has amassed a remarkable array of career experiences, from being appointed Managing Director of one of Bermuda’s largest banks (Bermuda Commercial Bank) aged just 30, to launching her own international development & advisory business Adara Group and sitting on the boards of some of the Country’s largest institutions including Suncorp Bank (2012-2020) and Westpac Bank (2021-present).

Our exclusive discussion with Audette unpacks her career, from her first corporate position as a solicitor at Allens, to her leadership of an international banking institution as well as the launch of her own advisory business, Adara Group, a company with offices in five countries across the World including Australia, the United States, Uganda, Nepal & Bermuda.

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In another Ready Media Group exclusive interview, our special guest on this episode is Larry Kestelman - Executive Group Chairman of LK Group, a private, diversified family office that encompasses in excess of twenty businesses across the property, private equity, technology, sports & retail spheres.

In a remarkable career extending across more than three decades, Larry has established a formidable reputation as an entrepreneur, deal-maker & turnaround specialist with an innate sense of being able to disrupt industries as diverse as telecommunications, real estate development, basketball & apparel to name but a few.

Born in Odessa, Ukraine in 1966 to hard-working & highly educated parents (his mother was a Doctor, his father an electrical engineer), Larry’s childhood was characterised by modest and simple pleasures with the prevailing environment dominated by poverty & communism.

By age eleven, fearing the rise of the Soviet Union and armed with the desire to find a better life, the Kestelman Family left Ukraine and spent six months living in Italy before arriving in Australia, and specifically, Melbourne in 1979.

Over the course of the next forty-plus years, Larry’s work-ethic, business nous & unique ability to spot opportunities has led to the establishment, acquisition & divestment of a diverse range of businesses, not least including internet service provider Dodo, the National Basketball League (NBL), Brand Collective & Acquire Pacific - the culmination of which now sit under the umbrella of LK Group, one of Australia’s most successful organisations.

In this rare & exclusive in-depth profile, Larry walks us through his extraordinary life, unpacking his background, his early wins in business, the transformational deals he’s undertaken and his key pieces of advice for those looking to emulate the successes of one of the Country’s very best business people.

Produced & distributed exclusively by Ready Media Group - home of Australia's flagship business series, featuring over 250 interviews since 2015.

Further information;

Ready Media - https://readymedia.com.au/

LK Group - https://www.lkg.com.au/

Our guest on this episode is Geoff Levy AO - Chairman & Founder of Monash Private Capital and one of the Country's most successful business leaders with an enviable track record of leading and influencing organisations across the investment banking, corporate advisory, legal, property and sporting spheres.

Born in Victory Park, Johannesburg South Africa in 1959, Geoff completed his early educational studies at King David Primary & High Schools before graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Witwatersrand in 1980.

Geoff then re-located to Australia in 1981 and studied a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of New South Wales, graduating in 1982 and joining Freehill Hollingdale & Page in 1983 as a solicitor.

For the next decade, he worked at Freehill Hollingdale & Page, becoming a Partner of the firm in 1987 having led a number of significant M&A deals and transactions.

Alongside David Gonski AC, Geoff became a Principal of Wentworth Associates for a period of eight years wherein following the sale to Investec in 2001, he became CEO and later Chairman.

During the 1990's and 2000's, Geoff's business interests expanded rapidly, including with a number of high-profile board positions with Ten Network Holdings, Rebel Sport Limited, Freedom Group Limited, Mirvac and STW Group.

Geoff has also held a number of Chairmanship's including as Chairman of Specialty Fashion Group (2005 - 2017), Cromwell Property Group (2008 - 2020) and Wentworth Williamson Management (2013 - present) to name a few.

His current business activities extend to a range of institutions including as Chairman and Founder of Monash Private Capital, an independent investment firm providing capital and asset management, Chairman of the Advisory Board of OurCrowd, a leading global equity crowd-funding platform and Co-Founder & Partner of Our Innovation Fund (OIF Ventures), an Australian based Venture Capital firm.

Our discussion with Geoff Levy AO explores his background, the genesis and growth of his business career and the key lessons he's learnt from an extraordinarily diverse array of experiences.

Produced & distributed exclusively by Ready Media Group.

For more information, visit;

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https://www.monashprivatecapital.com.au/

We’re joined by special guest Nigel Satterley AM - Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Satterley Property Group.

In a remarkable five-decade plus career, Nigel has become a cornerstone member of Australia’s property & business sectors, establishing the Satterley business over the past forty years to become the Country’s largest privately-owned residential development firm whilst cementing his extraordinary legacy through his contribution to a broad range of philanthropic causes.

Born in the pastoral township of Cunderdin, Western Australia, Nigel moved to Perth in his late- teens armed with a thirst for knowledge and an uncompromising approach to ‘make it’ in the big City - his first break arriving aged 20 after being appointed State Representative & distributor for Western Australia of legendary retailer, Levi Jeans.

Following the encouragement by some of Perth’s leading business identities to begin investing in & developing real estate, Nigel formed Statesman Homes in his 20’s, a business which went on to become one of the State’s largest residential home-builders generating some 650 completions per annum.

By 1980 & following the sale of Statesman Homes, Nigel moved into broad-acre land development under the Satterley Property Group banner, upending the traditional approach to large-scale subdivisions by introducing master-planned communities which emphasised amenity & lifestyle facilities.

Over the course of the ensuing forty plus years, Satterley Property Group has grown to have operations across Australia, most notably in Western Australia & Victoria, and has delivered over 180 masterplanned estates, sold 85,000 residential lots of land and boasts a pipeline of in excess of 45,000 lots.

In addition to the success he’s achieved in the property industry, Nigel is highly-respected for his enormous contributions to both the State of Western Australia as well as a number of organisations across the Country.

He currently serves as a Foundation Board Member of the National Portrait Gallery and has previously served on a number of boards and initiatives including as a Councillor of the WA Police & Community Youth Centres, Patron of the St John of God Hospital Cancer Centre and Life Member of the West Coast Eagles AFL club to name but a few.

Amongst a number of awards, Nigel was also honoured a Doctor of Business from Edith Cowan University in 2015 for his contribution to the Western Australian Housing Industry and the community more broadly.In the first in-depth profile of his career, Nigel shares his remarkable journey, the challenges he’s been able to overcome & the fundamental drivers for success in business & in life.

Proudly produced & distributed exclusively via Ready Media Group in partnership with Satterley Property Group.

Further information;

Ready Media - https://readymedia.com.au/

Satterley - https://satterley.com.au/

Joining our series for a rare & exclusive interview is special guest, Paul Blackburne - Founder & Executive Chairman of Blackburne, one of Australia’s largest privately owned & integrated property development firms.

Since inception, Blackburne has redefined the concept of luxury living, successfully delivering landmark projects in key locations across Perth, the result of which has cemented his legacy as one of the most successful property players in the State with a pipeline of in excess of $1bn of projects.

Our exclusive discussion with Paul explores his background, his extraordinary career and the fundamentals required to become successful in both life & business.

Produced & distributed exclusively by Ready Media Group.

For further information, visit:

https://www.blackburne.com.au/

https://readymedia.com.au/

Our special guest is Trevor Lowensohn - Founding Partner & Managing Director of Alceon Group.

Launched in 2010, Alcon is a specialist advisory and investment house that boasts over $4.3b of funds under management across real estate, private equity, private credit & liquid strategies.

Across its real estate exposures, Alceon has invested over $6.2b across more than 400 deals, generating a weighted average net IRR of 16.1%.

Our discussion with Trevor explores his background, his executive positions in investment banking and the formulation of Alceon Group - one of Australia's preeminent investment groups.

For further information, visit:

https://www.alceon.com.au/

https://readymedia.com.au/

In another Ready Media Group exclusive interview, we're joined on this episode by Mr. Jon Adgemis - Executive Chairman of The JAGA Group and Founder of Public Hospitality Group, one of the Country's fastest growing pub conglomerates.

Launched in 2014, The Jaga Group is a private investment group that has grown to encompass a portfolio of premium assets across Australia's Eastern seaboard, with a cumulative value of in excess of $600m.

More recently, Jon also established Jaga Asset Management under The Jaga Group umbrella, a business which launched it's inaugural Alternative Income Fund in 2021 with $90m invested across a team of credit and asset management specialists.

Prior to founding The Jaga Group, Jon spent over sixteen years in mergers and acquisitions & corporate advisory at KPMG, being appointed a Partner of the business at age 28 and later becoming the firm's National Head of M&A, a position which saw him provide strategic advice to high-profile family offices and business leaders throughout Australia.

As a highly regarded investment banker, corporate advisor and confidant, Jon boasts exceptionally deep experience and expertise across a range of industries and sectors including technology, property investment and development, film production & distribution and mining.

In addition to a number of other executive and board level positions, Jon is a Director of Laurus Energy Limited, an Australian public unlisted petroleum exploration company, and has been involved in a range of ventures including Whizz Technologies and Skyfii Limited.

He is a previous Director of Eastern Property Group and is regularly called upon by private business leaders and organisations throughout Australia to provide strategic counsel.

Proudly produced and distributed exclusively by Ready Media Group.

https://readymedia.com.au/

https://www.thejagagroup.com/

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