Mr Viral
Fergal Harris, managing director in Affinius Capital’s global investors group
US investment manager Affinius Capital has hired Fergal Harris as managing director in the firm’s global investors group, where the JLL veteran will launch the Affinius Sydney office and assume responsibility for capital-raising activities in Australia and New Zealand.
The new Sydney office and an existing Seoul outpost will expand Affinius Capital’s footprint in Asia Pacific, the firm said Tuesday in a release. Texas-based Affinius invests in real estate and manages $64 billion in assets across North America and Europe.
The firm plans to draw on Harris’s experience gained from nearly three decades of real estate finance, bank client coverage, credit/equity advisory and institutional fundraising.
“Ferg brings an established network of client and industry relationships from his 20 years of experience in the APAC region,” said Scott Stuckman, senior managing director of Affinius Capital’s global investors group. “His knowledge of a broad range of cultures and commercial situations will be invaluable as we expand our investment mandates and reach among the global market.”
Longtime JLL Hand
Harris most recently served as managing director of institutional capital at Australian asset manager HMC Capital. Before joining HMC last March, he spent seven years at JLL, first as the consultancy’s Singapore-based head of APAC debt capital and latterly as head of capital markets for Australia and New Zealand.
The firm’s portfolio includes this Amazon facility near Leeds, England (Image: Affinius Capital)
In his position at the head of investment transactions for JLL in Australia, Harris focused on strengthening client relationships and developing new business lines, in addition to regional responsibilities leading the firm’s debt and financial advisory teams.
Harris’s earlier career included real estate roles at Standard Chartered Bank and First Abu Dhabi Bank. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and sociology from the National University of Ireland and previously served on the Property Council of Australia’s capital markets committee.
“Affinius Capital’s client-first focus and culture of transparency is so compelling, I am delighted to have the opportunity to help grow the reach of the firm and serve our clients at the highest level,” Harris said. “A history of innovation and performance across established sectors including industrial, data centres, credit and housing, is a reflection of their remarkable group of investment partners as well as their talented team.”
Texas Origins
Affinius Capital was founded in 1982 as the real estate investment arm of USAA, an insurer based in San Antonio, Texas. The Affinius brand emerged in 2023 after USAA Real Estate’s acquisition and integration of Square Mile Capital.
Affinius describes its acquisition strategy as identifying quality assets across all property classes that offer value-generation potential through leasing, renovation, redevelopment, densification or the introduction of other uses.
The firm’s portfolio includes the Amazon Wakefield warehouse near Leeds in England and the Gainesville Crossing Data Center Campus project in Northern Virginia.
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