Columbus Equity Partners is an investment firm specializing in private real estate, debt, and infrastructure investments. The document discusses Columbus' experience investing in various types of private real estate and providing services including development, income generation, funding, and advisory work. It outlines Columbus' focus on direct investments in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, and the UAE. The document also discusses current market dynamics, opportunities, Columbus' advantages including its experienced team and relationships, and introduces two of its principal partners.
3. Introduction
● Columbus Equity Partners (Columbus) is a privately
owned investment house specialising in private real
estate, private debt & equity and private
infrastructure. We are a firm focused on
alternative investments with a bias for direct real
assets.
● With core competencies across real estate and
select infrastructure investments, Columbus’
team is uniquely positioned to originate and
asset manage investment grade opportunities to
deliver superior risk-adjusted returns to investors
seeking to diversify their investment portfolios.
● We invest in private real estate opportunities that
are not listed on a stock exchange. These include
direct real estate developments and
investments as well as mezzanine and
preferred equity positions with reputable
market participants. Our strategies include
opportunistic, value-added and credit/special
situations. We seek to generate absolute returns
that exceed our investors’ expectations.
● Our business model is to seek to co-invest
alongside our investors to ensure the strongest
alignment of interest possible.
● Columbus is of the firm belief that direct real
assets provide a distinctive, uncorrelated and
attractive risk/return profile that listed
securities cannot generate.
● Our senior staff are directly and actively
involved throughout the firm’s investments
lifecycles, not just at the sourcing phase. As
a result, we increase value and mitigate risk
through our hands-on advisory, asset management
and direct tenant interface .
● This document sets out:
− Columbus’s Property credentials and capabilities
within the property and broader real asset
investment space
− Our assessment of the Australian property
investment sector
− Our preliminary views on potential growth
options available from the Australian and New
Zealand markets.
5. Columbus and Property
Columbus Equity Partners is a specialised property
sector provider focussed on the needs of our
wholesale clients, who are typically, Family Offices,
Institutions, Industry Funds, Wholesale syndications,
Property Groups and HNW property investors, both
domestically and within certain ASEAN centres.
Our geographical focus is on Australia, New Zealand,
Singapore, Malaysia, and the UAE.
Our core principles :
We are autonomous and non-aligned
We are holistic in our investments, lending and
markets solutions
The Directors facilitate every mandate
We provide access to otherwise unattainable
opportunities
We often co-invest.
Columbus is able to act as an advisor, structurer,
arranger and manager of investment assets, funding
solutions and financial markets products.
Columbus objectively provides tailored solutions via
a well researched process coupled with structuring
and strategic advice to our clients in order to meet
their unique financial requirements.
•
7. Columbus Attributes
•Strategic
partners
•Transaction /
Deal
management
•Strong
connections &
network
•Sector
understanding
The Columbus
Partners in their
individual
capacities have
significant
experience in
acquiring,
disposing, managing
and funding
property, both
direct and indirect.
Columbus has strong
connections with
investors across the
Family Office,
Institutional, and
Pension Funds both
domestically and
internationally.
Columbus is able to
identify and source
strategic partners
for each
opportunity. These
strategic partners
provide access to a
broad spectrum of
expertise.
Columbus is able to
manage all aspects
of the deal process
including
preparation of data
room, coordinating
due diligence and
negotiation of deal
points
8. Our Advantage
Quality
Investment
Team
•We are an independent management owned firm and our senior team is directly involved throughout
the firm’s investments lifecycles. We all have hands-on expertise with the assets in which we invest.
•We have a lean, nimble and multidisciplinary team which enables us to directly source, execute, manage risks
and exit investments seamlessly.
•We strongly believe in the quality of our investments and seek to align our interest by co-
investing alongside our investors.
Proven
Investment
Approach
•Fundamental, bottom-up valuation & qualitative analysis.
•We generally are of greatest value to our clients when sourcing, negotiate the terms of and buying or
investing in direct property assets. Our analysis of any investment is based on understanding the physical,
financial and legal nuances of an asset and correctly off setting or pricing risk.
Deep
Industry
Relationsh
ips
•Our strong network with family offices, investors, developers, land owners as well as other key industry
participants gives us a unique access to investment grade opportunities.
•Our proven business origination capabilities as well as recognised technical skills are the
contributing factors to our long term relationships with our partners and the trust invested in us.
10. Australian Market Dynamics
Current Position
Strong appetite for real assets both domestically and internationally
internationally
Seeking active managers with value add strategies
Preference for Melbourne and Sydney commercial, retail and industrial core
and industrial core or core plus and unique broad acre residential or mixed
residential or mixed use opportunities
Focus on quality of income stream, tenant covenants , WALE and current
WALE and current management is a priority
Increasing demand by non-aligned boutique wealth advisers for structured
advisers for structured fund products for DIY Self-Managed Superannuation
Managed Superannuation funds
Strong support for “Green” buildings
Considerations
Australian investor groups now have a more robust procedure for selecting
managers:
Strength of the company, its management structure and ownership
Investment process used by the manager
Experience of its investment team
Track record
Whether the manager complements other investment managers
Investing upwards of $150,000 at a time
Still seeking commissions circa 2.5% - 3.5%
Family Offices are increasingly investing between AUD$5m – AUD$10m in
property investments domestically and offshore
Easier to engage with
Shorter decision making time frame
24 month investment horizon
20%+ return expectation
11. Market Opportunities
Growth
Columbus has strong relationships with a number of
substantial property developers and portfolio
managers across:
Domestic and international pension funds
Boutique non-aligned Dealer Groups
HNW / Family Offices
We are well positioned to make confidential
soundings with selected parties to enable the
raising of investment funds in both the Australian
and New Zealand markets.
Columbus acts for its clients on specific mandates
to achieve agreed outcomes in off market
transactions.
Local Presence
We have found in acting with other funds managers,
that the lack of a local presence has slowed
considerably the investment process.
Columbus is well placed with its offices in Sydney
and Melbourne to facilitate ongoing relationships
with Australian and New Zealand domestic investment
targets as well as with Singaporean and Malaysian
investment funds.
We have found the relationship building process
typically involves regular direct interaction in
order to be successful.
13. Fee Arrangements
•A work fee of AUD$21,000 plus GST for identifying potential investee
groups or assets within Australia and New Zealand and arranging direct
one on one presentations
•An expenses contribution of AUD$6,000 plus GST on account of travel
and accommodation costs
Identifying investment
targets and facilitation
of direct meetings
•A monthly retainer work fee of AUD$6,000 plus GST on account of
ongoing strategic relationship building with all identified groups and
continued identification of new potential groups or assets
•An expense contribution as agreed from time to time on account of
travel and accommodation costs
Ongoing strategic
relationship
•A success based fee of 4% plus GST of the transaction value for
capital raising ,
•A success based fee of 1% plus GST of the purchase and or sale based
on Contract of Sale price. Retainers are in part reimbursed from
success fees.
Success based Fee
15. Our Principal Partners
Attila’s 30+ years in the Institutional property markets most aspects
of commercial property development, ownership and investment.
Attila has been elected an industry representative by various
related bodies, has chaired various property associations and been
a guest lecturer at various Industry related Investment forums
Attila commenced his property career worked with Hillier Parker
May & Rowden in Australia and then as a partner in London. This
was follows with roles as head of Institutional sales with Jones Lang
Wootton, Knight Frank, then as director in Macquarie Property
Investment Banking, followed by Wholesale Transactions Manager
for Investa Property Group.
More recently Attila has completed various Industry fund mandates
including the establishment of a Wholesale Development Fund,
review of property portfolio and development exposure for an
Investment bank, and the sourcing of specific property investment
opportunities for an off shore Pension Fund.
Attila is a qualified Valuer and holds a real estate licence No
257191, a diploma of Financial Services Cert No 243 and, AFS PS
146 Knowledge Assessment Cert No 37358.
He has also held the role of Chairman Investment Committee DNA
NRAS.
Attila Fekete
Executive Director
m: +61 419 204775
e: afekete@columbus-ep.com.au
Attila has significant experience in:
Sourcing and placing a vast array of property for institutions and
private investors; commercial, industrial, retail, leisure, residential
Support capital raisings for wholesale property funds
Independent expert panellist in legal proceedings
Portfolio and asset strategies on behalf of an institutional clients
Industry association committee member and contributor over time
With an insight into most forms of property investment, the pricing
of risk across various markets and asset classes, Attila’s particular
focus is identifying and structuring value add opportunities that can
be self-funded for Wholesale, Corporate and private investors.
16. Our Principal Partners
Geoff Gedge is an Executive Director at Columbus
advising, structuring, and arranging a range of
Investment and Corporate Solutions to our clients,
with a particular expertise in all aspects of the
property sector.
Since 1994, Geoff has worked extensively within
the Financial Services industry, both as a funds
manager for AXA involved with the formation,
structuring and distribution of various investment
products, and as a corporate trustee supervising
$2.4 billion of retail investors funds which was
invested across domestic and international equity,
fixed interest and property sectors.
For five years from 1999, Geoff’s focus was on
Corporate Advisory work for Credit Suisse within
the Asia Pacific region. He has spent considerable
time working on property, infrastructure, and
financial services projects throughout Australia,
New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines,
Hong Kong and China.
Geoff was also previously the CEO of the Property
Funds Association of Australia (PFAA)
Geoffrey Gedge
Executive Director
m: +61 405 983 635
e: geoffg@columbusequity.com.au
Geoffrey has significant experience in:
Channel Partner distribution management
Institutional and wholesale investor capital
raising in Australia, New Zealand and greater Asia
Family Office and Pension Funds investment
Property acquisition, divestment and funding in
Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong
Kong, Philippines, and greater China
Australasian Investment strategies
Acquisition and divestment of Mez debt portfolios
in Australia and New Zealand
Acquisition and divestment of unlisted REIT
platforms
Malaysian based Islamic Debt MBO and capital
raising