Barings, one of the world’s largest diversified real estate investment managers, has appointed John Ratcliffe as Head of Asia Pacific Real Estate.
Ratcliffe will work with the senior management team at Barings to develop the business’ Pan-Asian and Australian real estate platform covering both equity and debt.
He will report to Charles Weeks, Head of Europe & Asia Pacific Real Estate Equity, to drive the growth of Baring’s third-party investment management business in the region, replicating the successful strategy that has allowed it to achieve significant growth in the U.S. and Europe.
Ratcliffe joins Barings from Challenger Real Estate, a division of Australian-listed Challenger Limited, where he spent 12 years as Executive Director of Transactions and Capital Raising. Previously, he worked in asset management at Australian high-end residential and mixed-use developer, Niecon Developments.
”He has led more than 65 institutional transactions worth more than $3.5 billion across all sectors in the Asia Pacific region,” said the company in a statement.
Based in the company’s Sydney office and working alongside Duncan Robertson, Barings Head of Asia Pacific and Head of Global Business Development Group, Ratcliffe will primarily be responsible for sourcing investment opportunities in the region, with an initial focus on Australia and Japan before exploring opportunities in China and other geographies, as well as assisting with capital raising from both existing and new sources.
Charles Weeks said: “Our real estate activities in Asia have traditionally focused on working with our clients to deploy capital into the U.S. and Europe. By having John join the firm we are now building the capability to invest locally. Initially, his focus will be on Australia to deploy debt and equity into one of the world’s most transparent, liquid and open markets, as well as Japan, another highly sophisticated and professional real estate market.”
Duncan Robertson added: “John’s 20-year experience in the real estate industry and exceptional track record make him an ideal person to help us serve our clients and build on Barings’ significant presence in the Asia Pacific region across other asset classes. This strategic hire is further evidence of Barings commitment to attracting the very best global talent the real estate sector has to offer.”
John Ratcliffe said: “Barings is a highly reputable global firm with strong ambitions to grow its real estate business in the Asia Pacific region, building on the successful and well-established platforms it has in the U.S. and Europe. I look forward to hitting the ground running in sourcing new investment opportunities, focusing first on Australia and Japan and then more broadly across other Asian territories. At the same time, I will work with Charles and the excellent teams in Sydney and across Asia Pacific to help source capital and expand Barings’ real estate footprint in the region.”
