By Alfred Anate Mayaki

Leading alternative investment manager Qualitas (ASX:QAL), has appointed Jesse Curtis as Head of Direct Real Estate, Australia, effective July 2026.

The appointment is a key milestone in Qualitas' strategy to build a full-spectrum real estate investment platform, complementing its established and market-leading private credit business. The expansion of the direct real estate platform was identified as a core growth initiative in Qualitas' IPO Prospectus and is being executed from a position of strength, with Qualitas delivering record earnings and funds under management of approximately $10.9 billion¹.

Mr Curtis will be based in Sydney and will lead the growth of Qualitas' direct real estate funds management business, deploying third-party capital across core, core-plus and value-add real estate strategies, with a mandate to originate, acquire and actively manage assets internally. The business will build on a portfolio of approximately $1 billion in gross assets, predominantly through two existing funds.

Mr Curtis joins from Centuria Capital Group, where he spent over seven years in senior leadership roles, most recently as Head of Funds Management overseeing more than $20 billion in assets across listed and unlisted property funds spanning office, industrial, retail, data centres, healthcare and agriculture sectors. Prior to Centuria, he spent six years at Dexus across portfolio management and capital and corporate transactions and earlier held roles at Goodman and CBRE.

His appointment creates two distinct equity investment units – Direct Real Estate and Real Estate Private Equity – each with dedicated, experienced leadership across the full breadth of our equity business.

Mark Fischer, Co-Founder and Global Head of Real Estate, said: "We've been disciplined in waiting for the right market conditions and the right person to lead this next phase of growth. Jesse is an outstanding appointment – he brings deep market relationships, institutional-grade experience and a track record of building and managing portfolios at significant scale.

"The current environment is well suited to disciplined, well-capitalised equity buyers with deep sector expertise. With our credit platform performing strongly and significant investor support behind our equity strategy, this is the right time to accelerate.

"This appointment reflects Qualitas' evolution into a full-spectrum real estate investment platform, with distinct, focused teams across credit and equity, each led by experienced leadership. This has been a long-term vision, and we see it as a growth driver complementary to our fast-growing private credit business."

Jesse Curtis said: "Qualitas has built an exceptional reputation in Australian real estate, and I'm excited to lead the expansion of the direct real estate platform. The foundations for success are strong – a proven track record in equity investing, deep institutional relationships, and the backing of a platform that understands real estate across the capital structure.

"The market is offering a compelling point in the cycle for expansion in real estate equity investing. Additionally, investors are continuing to view Australia as a favourable destination in the context of global real estate investment. This has created an excellent opportunity to leverage the local expertise of an experienced manager to source and execute on high-quality real estate assets at an attractive entry point.

"I look forward to building a team and a portfolio that delivers strong returns for Qualitas' investors over the long term."

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Media Enquiries
Kate Stokes
Head of Marketing and Communications
M: +61 3 9612 3936
E: kate.stokes@qualitas.com.au 

About Qualitas

Qualitas is one of Australia's leading alternative investment managers, specialising in real estate, with approximately $10.9 billion in funds under management1. Founded in 2008, Qualitas invests across the real estate capital structure, offering private credit, direct real estate and real estate private equity strategies to institutional, wholesale and retail investors. Qualitas is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: QAL). For more information, please visit www.qualitas.com.au.

Notes

1. As at 31 December 2025.