JLL appoints Ross Petar to lead operational real estate across EMEA and APAC

• Ross Petar's role expands to include APAC oversight for Operational Real Estate, building on his current EMEA leadership within Value and Risk Advisory
• New role establishes integrated platform across EMEA and APAC to capture growth in fastest-growing valuation segment
• Strategic focus on delivering consistent operational excellence and seamless service to multinational clients across both regions

JLL today announced that Ross Petar has been appointed to an expanded leadership role within its Value and Risk Advisory business, adding APAC oversight for Operational Real Estate (OpRE) to his current responsibilities as EMEA Head of Operational Real Estate.

In this enhanced capacity, Ross will lead the establishment of a more connected OpRE platform spanning EMEA and APAC, working closely with regional leadership teams to deliver seamless service to clients operating across both markets. The appointment reflects JLL's commitment to capturing significant growth in the OpRE sector, which encompasses in the main Hotels, Healthcare, Senior Living, Student Housing, Data Centres, Self-Storage, and Leisure assets.

With strong growth projected in APAC's OpRE market, JLL aims to significantly scale its combined EMEA and APAC OpRE business in the coming years. The integrated platform will be developed through a deliberate, phased approach, with initial focus on key markets across both regions and priority sectors including Hotels and Data Centres.

Alexandra Bryant, CEO, Value and Risk Advisory at JLL said, "Operational Real Estate represents the fastest-growing segment of our valuation market, and this appointment strengthens our Value and Risk Advisory platform to meet growing client demand. Ross's expanded role will enable us to build consistent operational excellence across both regions while maintaining the local market expertise our clients value. This strategic connectivity will strengthen our ability to serve multinational clients and accelerate our growth trajectory."

Ross Petar, EMEA & APAC Head of Operational Real Estate at JLL added, "I'm excited to take on this expanded role and help build a truly connected Operational Real Estate platform across EMEA and APAC. Having worked with clients across our core OpRE sectors for over 20 years, I've seen first-hand how the operational asset classes continue to gain strategic importance for investors and operators alike as they seek to diversify more into the income producing asset classes. I look forward to working closely with our APAC colleagues to bring the same depth of expertise and client focus to this region, as we position JLL to lead in one of the most dynamic growth segments in real estate."

The platform will focus on strategic collaboration across regions, enabling consistent service delivery standards, cross-regional expertise sharing, and coordinated support for multinational clients. Ross will work closely with APAC leadership teams to establish operational frameworks across key markets in the region.

What is Operational Real Estate (OpRE) and why is it a priority growth area?
 

OpRE in the main includes the specialised operational income property sectors such as Hotels, Healthcare, Senior Living, Student Housing, Data Centres, Self-Storage, and Leisure. It represents the fastest-growing segment of the valuation market, with APAC being a significant growth market of interest for investors diversifying into the more alternative sectors.

How does this appointment strengthen JLL's Value & Risk Advisory business?
 

The integrated EMEA-APAC platform establishes strategic connectivity across JLL's fastest-growing valuation segment, enabling consistent operational excellence, coordinated service delivery for multinational clients, and accelerated innovation deployment across both regions. The importance of having a specialised connected team of valuers focused on the more complex income producing / operational asset classes will be an area of focus that will strengthen the business.

This approach mirrors recent strategic appointments in other specialised areas, including Brad Greenway's leadership of Debt Advisory across both regions, demonstrating JLL's commitment to building connected, expert-led platforms across our advisory services.

How will this expanded role benefit JLL's clients?
 

The integrated platform will enable seamless service delivery for multinational clients, consistent quality standards across markets, and accelerated innovation deployment while maintaining local market expertise and respecting regional nuances with a focus on operational assets.

Which APAC markets and sectors will be prioritised in the first 6 – 12 months?
 

Australia and New Zealand will serve as the full platform anchor across all OpRE sectors. Hotels will be prioritized across ANZ, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong, while Data Centres will focus on ANZ, Japan, and Singapore.