KNIGHT Frank has appointed Shaun Witherow as the new head of Queensland as part of a restructure and at the same time, Justin Bond to the role of head of capital markets.
Witherow has been acting head of Queensland since October and will take on the role permanently following a thorough internal and external recruitment process. Prior to this, he was previously head of asset management services (AMS) and has been with the agency for nearly four years.
In that time, Witherow has doubled the Queensland AMS business, winning over 50 new appointments and instructions, for a total of more than 600,000 sqm of assets under management. This includes securing the management of five significant Brisbane CBD assets.
Knight Frank Australia partner and CEO Rod Leaver said the agency was thrilled with the appointment.
“The Queensland business is financially strong and well-positioned after many years of successful recruitment and development.
“Shaun’s appointment will strengthen our leadership team in Queensland and put us in a position where we are confident in delivering the next phase of growth in the Queensland business.
“His broad business experience positions him very well to drive business growth and service the wants and needs of our clients,” he added.
Witherow said the company has already started to implement strategies to ensure the business was ready for growth in 2020.
“It’s an exciting time for Brisbane, with the city strengthening, and we are positive the commercial property market will also see plenty of growth going forward,” he said. “Supported by a strong executive leadership team, I look forward to capitalising on this growth for Knight Frank in the future, and I’m confident our business set to go from strength to strength.”
At the same time, Justin Bond has also been appointed as head of capital markets in the state.
Leaver said while an external and internal recruitment process had been undertaken, the Queensland roles were filled internally, giving the business the opportunity to promote from within.
“We will always select the best candidate for the role, but we have a very significant talent pool within our business and we strive to reward and recognise talent by promoting our people internally to key roles,” Leaver concluded.
