Barings continues global expansion with appointment of new head of Asia Pacific real estate

Barings has appointed John Ratcliffe as head of Asia Pacific real estate.

In this newly created position, Ratcliffe will work with the senior management team at Barings to develop the business’s Pan-Asian and Australian real estate platform covering both equity and debt. Ratcliffe will primarily be responsible for sourcing investment opportunities in the region, with an initial focus on Australia and Japan before exploring opportunities in China and other geographies, as well as assisting with capital raising from both existing and new sources.

Charles Weeks, head of Europe and Asia Pacific real estate equity, said, “Our real estate activities in Asia have traditionally focused on working with our clients to deploy capital into the United States and Europe. By having John join the firm, we are now building the capability to invest locally. Initially, his focus will be on Australia to deploy debt and equity into one of the world’s most transparent, liquid and ope