CENTURIA Bass Credit, has made key appointments in its Sydney and Melbourne offices as the growth of the real estate non-bank lender and investment manager drives Centuria Capital’s assets under management.
John Kalaf, a global financial markets veteran of 35 years, has been appointed as senior advisor – distribution, at the Sydney office and will be responsible for supporting capital raising strategies across the NSW market.
Peter Callanan, with 15 years in funds management and investor relations across Ireland and Australia and is chiefly responsible for strategic operations across Australia, has been made director – investor operations at the Melbourne office.
Both Kalaf and Callanan will report to Yehuda Gottlieb, managing director of funds and distribution.
Giles Borten and Nick Goh, Centuria Bass joint CEOs, said, “In the current high interest rate environment with many traditional lenders tightening their loan criteria, coupled with unprecedented demand for residential stock, Centuria Bass is experiencing surging demand for non-bank real estate finance.
“This demand has been met with strong wholesale investor appetite for high returns across a relatively short time period of approximately 12 to 18 months.”
Centuria Capital said last week that its group assets under management grew to $21.1 billion in the first half, largely driven by the growth of Centuria Bass, which saw a 41% year-on-year increase in funds under management to $1.58 billion.
Kalaf and Callanan are among half a dozen recent appointments across Sydney and Melbourne.
“John’s expertise in global wholesale markets and financial markets analysis make him a valuable addition to our distribution team while Peter’s operational expertise will generate significant value and efficiencies across the business,” Gottlieb said.
Kalaf previously held positions with GFI Group as a director, Australia and New Zealand; Icap Sydney as director, interest rate derivates; and Lasser Marshall in the United States as a senior broker advisory.
Callanan’s previous positions include MaxCap Group where he worked as a senior manager; NAB as a senior associate (non-traded operations); and SEI Investments in Ireland as an investment operations specialist.
