After 13 years in the top job, the Australian and New Zealand chief executive officer of JLL will be retiring from his role.
Dan Kernaghan will be taking over the CEO spot from Stephen Conry, who indicated his intention to move away from the executive role back in January of this year.
JLL Asia-Pacific region CEO Anthony Couse has recognised the incoming CEO as “a homegrown JLL talent”.
“I’m delighted that he will be leading one of our most important markets globally,” he said.
A statement announcing Mr Kernaghan’s elevation has highlighted his efforts as part of the firm’s Australian executive committee for the past four years and touts a “strong track record in client service and leasing” since first joining JLL in 2006.
Appointed as head of NSW office leasing in 2015, Mr Kernaghan was then promoted to lead the NSW business operations as managing director in 2018.
“He has extensive industry experience, representing high profile international and domestic real estate owners, and working on some of the most significant leasing transactions in Australia,” the Asia-Pacific region CEO also illustrated.
Mr Kernaghan himself has expressed he is “honoured to lead the Australia and New Zealand business into the next phase of expansion”.
“Our strong and diverse client base will continue to be the focus for the firm,” he shared, noting that their diversified business platform “puts us in a strong position to navigate economic and market conditions”.
“I look forward to leading and working with a great team that makes JLL the market leader it is and building on our proud history of more than 60 years in the Australian market,” the new CEO stated.
The changing of the guard marks the end of a 40-year career at JLL for Mr Conry.
Expressing sadness at seeing the former CEO go after such a lengthy stint, Mr Couse said the group is “grateful for his immense contribution during that time”.
He concluded: “He has helped nurture a highly talented group of leaders in Australia and New Zealand and I’m confident Dan will help drive even greater growth and connectivity across the whole business.”
It’s been a busy period for the group, which has just revealed a brand-new partnership with Bricks and Agent in a bid to optimise its existing tenant service platform.
JLL has also recently embarked on a support program for Australian veterans, offering training to “provide leaders with the skills they need to bridge the military-civilian knowledge gap and best support our JLL veterans in their career development”, according to JLL Work Dynamics managing director Ben Tindale.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Grace Ormsby
Grace is a journalist across Momentum property and investment brands. Grace joined Momentum Media in 2018, bringing with her a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) from the University of Newcastle. She’s passionate about delivering easy to digest information and content relevant to her key audiences and stakeholders.
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