Real Estate Assistant Manager
Americana Group - United Arab Emirates
Total years of experience :8 years, 9 Months
Real estate portfolio management and acquisitions for Americana’s F&B brands in the UAE:
• Managing the delivery of new store opening programme in line with agreed objectives.
• Ensuring a solid pipeline is being built to meet the targets by building strong relationships with landlords.
• Obtaining approval of operations, real estate and planning directors for new target locations.
• Ensuring all new sites meet company’s financial benchmarks, including IRR, sales forecast, and investment through close coordination with the operations and financial planning teams.
• Assessment of potential sites and following preparation of new site opening reports.
• Negotiation with landlords on commercial terms and lease provisions for new sites and lease renewals.
• Portfolio review and strategy for major accounts in the UAE.
• Management of lease events, including expiries and break clauses.
• Negotiation on Covid-19 rent relief achieving the optimal rent savings as per the company’s target.
• Liaison with construction and design teams for new site handover prior and post lease signing.
• Instruction and liaison with third parties, including brokers and valuers.
Supporting head of leasing in creating and executing the leasing strategy on existing commercial units and regional shopping mall in Palm Jumeirah, ensuring deals are delivered in line with company budgets:
• Creating and maintaining a good mix of tenants appropriate for the market position and the company’s business plan.
• Maintaining target occupancy rates for the properties within the portfolio whilst maximizing return.
• Managing and executing office and retail leasing transactions from site inspection coordination, lease and commercial terms negotiation to documentation, including agreements, amendments and licences.
• Asset management of existing lease portfolio, including lease renewals, expiries, break clauses.
• Providing weekly leasing status updates to the managing partner.
• Strong brand awareness and ability to make recommendations for changes in the layout to maximize the leasing opportunities.
• Coordination with construction team on tenancy handover and attending fit out meetings upon request.
• Instructing and liaising with brokers, including providing project availability updates and organising tours with large corporate clients for office properties within company’s portfolio.
• Obtaining brand approvals for emerging retail businesses by compiling and presenting company profiles to the senior management following appropriate due diligence.
• Maintaining valuable and beneficial relationships with existing and target occupiers.
• Ability to utilise extensive network of industry contacts to identify business opportunities.
Responsible for the marketing and disposal of commercial leasehold properties for clients ranging from private individuals through to major property development/investment companies:
• Source, negotiate terms, undertake due diligence and acquire commercial property for clients on
leasehold basis, focusing on office and retail properties.
• Direct responsibility for recommending and implementing property marketing strategies for clients and
following close coordination with in-house marketing team in the preparation of the marketing material.
• Compile market data and subsequently produce detailed research reports, statistics, and press releases.
• Proactively engage with peers to gather detailed transaction information to maintain database accuracy.
• Pricing strategy for freehold & leasehold commercial, including retail and industrial, client properties.
• Responsible for establishing a retail leasing database in the commercial agency department.
• Undertaking site check measurement and preparing draft plans.
Strategic Consulting:
• Assisting the strategic consulting team in execution of real estate development strategy and feasibility studies assignments for master-planned communities and developments in GCC.
• Conducting, analysing & documenting market research.
• Drafting reports on regional and international development benchmarking analysis, real estate market & sub-market assessment, site analysis.
• Actively involved in development brief and financial analysis process of the studies.
• Researching and updating real estate supply and demand model for different GCC markets.
Retail Leasing & Advisory:
• Assisting JLL retail team in leasing & advisory assignments in UAE and Oman for assets ranging from community centres to super-regional malls.
• Participating in creating leasing strategy and active targeting of prospective occupiers as per tenancy mix.
• Actively involved in the catchment analysis and comparative case studies for client assignments.
• Drafted retail market overview for the regional newspaper ‘Gulf News’.
• Preparing regular updates on the leasing progress both to the clients and internally.
• Report writing on supply and demand commentary, site and SWOT analysis, retail market assessment.
Residential leasing of prime real estate assets in Notting Hill and Kensington areas.
Core subjects: Real Estate Appraisal and Valuation, Real Estate Development, International Property Markets, Macroeconomics and Finance, Real Estate Investment Analysis MSc dissertation on relationship between macroeconomic factors and Dubai CBD office rents.