Knight Frank has bolstered its Capital Markets business with two key appointments, strengthening the team nationally.
Rob Sewell has joined the firm as Partner, National Head of Institutional Sales, leading Knight Frank’s national office team, while Michael Kwok has been promoted to Partner, National Head of Capital Markets. Both will be based in Knight Frank’s Sydney Angel Place office.
Mr Sewell brings more than three decades of commercial real estate experience across Australia and New Zealand, with previous roles at McVay Real Estate, JLL and CBRE.
He has transacted more than $26 billion in property during his career, including $2.5 billion in office deals over the past four years.
Over the past seven years, Mr Sewell has completed 30 major deals across every state in Australia, including some of the country’s most significant transactions such as the sale of 80 Collins Street in Melbourne ($1.5 billion) and a 50% stake in Grosvenor Place in Sydney ($953 million).
His expertise spans capital partnering, mixed-use developments, forward funding, divestments, acquisitions, strategic advisory and property swaps.
Mr Sewell has represented a broad range of institutional and private clients, including Blackstone, Brookfield, Dexus, GIC, Mirvac, QIC, and Stockland.
Mr Kwok, who joined Knight Frank earlier this year as Head of Capital and Strategic Advisory in ANZ, has more than 25 years’ experience in real estate investment and asset management, previously holding senior roles at Archerfield Property Group, Dexus, Valad and Colonial First State GAM.
He has been involved in over $10 billion in capital transactions and developments and has played a pivotal role in establishing and managing more than $2.5 billion in wholesale investor property partnerships.
Knight Frank Chief Executive Officer James Patterson said he was excited to announce the key appointments to Knight Frank’s Capital Markets business.
“Both Rob and Michael are very experienced and skilled operators, as well as being highly regarded in the market,” Mr Patterson said.
“Rob’s deep market knowledge and strong client relationships will be instrumental in delivering exceptional outcomes for our clients. Rob will work closely with Justin Bond, who is a well-respected and long-term member of the capital markets team.
“After joining us just a few months ago, Michael has already made a significant impact on our business, and he will now lead our teams around Australia, in all sectors, including office, retail, healthcare, alternatives and industrial and logistics.”
Mr Sewell said he was looking forward to joining Knight Frank in July, and had been drawn to the private firm’s strong global network.
“Knight Frank has an excellent reputation in the market and has great momentum, with the firm’s leadership and partnerships, including with McGrath and Bayleys, strengthening the brand in Australia,” he said.
“The ethos of Knight Frank also aligns with how I want to conduct business, and that is to be a trusted advisor to clients, and provide genuine care for both clients and staff.”
Mr Kwok said he was excited to lead Knight Frank’s Capital Markets teams around Australia, especially at a time when the market is firmly in recovery mode.
“I feel privileged to be given the opportunity to lead and foster collaboration across the broader capital markets teams, and to grow Knight Frank’s capital advisory offering to our clients across Australia and working closely with our APAC office in Singapore,” he said.
The appointments follow the global appointment of Nick Braybrook as Knight Frank’s Head of Global Capital Markets.
