Movers and Shakers

Knight Frank forms new capital markets teamĀ 

Chet Al, Ryan Mills and Chris Clemente have moved to Knight Frank in South Australia, strengthening the company’s capital markets team.

The Announcement:

Knight Frank has bolstered its capital markets team in South Australia following three new appointments and one promotion.Ā 

Chet Al, Ryan Mills and Chris Clemente have joined Knight Frank in the following roles: 

ā€¢ Chet Al – Partner, Head of Investment Sales, SA 

ā€¢ Ryan Mills – Partner, SA Institutional Sales 

ā€¢ Chris Clemente ā€“ Sales Executive, Investment Sales 

Knight Frank Managing Director South Australia Bobbette Scott said the three newcomers had solid track records and would bolster Knight Frankā€™s agency sales team led by Max Frohlich.

ā€œChet, Ryan and Chris are all very well regarded in Adelaideā€™s commercial property market,ā€ Ms Scott said. 

ā€œTheir appointments, in addition to Maxā€™s promotion, means Knight Frank now has one of the most senior, dynamic and sophisticated capital markets teams in the city.Ā 

ā€œBoth Ryan and Max have come from a valuations background, giving them a wider depth of knowledge, while Max also has experience working on the client side, and Chet is well known for his ability to build exceptionally strong client relationships. 

ā€œWe look forward to leveraging the wide-ranging skills and experience of all four team members, in addition to their energy and professionalism, to deliver exceptional results for our clients.ā€ 

Ms Scott said Chet and Chris would focus predominantly on investment sales, while Ryan and Max would focus on institutional sales.Ā 

ā€œHowever, our dedicated transactions team will work closely together and collaborate with all service lines in our South Australian office,ā€ she said.

ā€œThey will also work with the wider Knight Frank capital markets and advisory teams to ensure complete global coverage and extensive reach into multiple marketplaces and across all real estate sectors.

ā€œHaving worked on the client side with both Ryan and Chet, I have experienced first-hand their ability to leverage technical and interpersonal negotiation skills to deliver outstanding outcomes. 

ā€œThis experience includes Ryan and I initiating a $98 million off-market transaction for a distribution centre in Adelaideā€™s Outer North when I was working at Realmont Property Partners in Sydney, and working with Chet on a $4.35 million multi-tenanted medical facility deal Chet sold to Leyton Property following my return to Adelaide.ā€ 

Mr Frohlich said he was excited about the new team coming together at a time when Adelaideā€™s commercial property market was starting to regain momentum. 

ā€œIn the calendar year to date there has been over $1 billion of office, retail and industrial transactions above $5 million, up more than 95 per cent from around $460 million this time last year, and excluding several significant sales expected to settle imminently,ā€ Mr Frohlich said.

ā€œWhile transaction volumes have decelerated substantially at a fund/institutional level, Knight Frank has experienced increased interest from private investors. 

ā€œThis is not only mandates of active or known local private high net worth investors, but a number of alternative groups seeking exposure to real estate in South Australia, including interstate family offices and corporates looking to diversify, with parties still willing to acquire premium assets at yields below current debt costs. 

ā€œThe key to achieving pricing at this level is targeting the right audience, qualifying the purchaserā€™s capital structure, and pitching the asset as a perfect fit for their mandate.

ā€œStrengthened by the new team, our track record, 100 per cent unwavering commitment, technical experience and ability to leverage relationships will ensure Knight Frankā€™s capital markets team is well placed to capture more than our fair share of Adelaideā€™s growing market share.ā€

Source: Knight Frank

Show More

Rowan Crosby

Rowan Crosby is a senior journalist at Elite Agent specialising in finance and real estate.