Greystar Names Tom Livelli to Lead Asia-Pacific Rental Housing Platform

SYDNEY, Sept. 15, 2026 — Greystar has appointed Tom Livelli as Executive Director, Head of Asia-Pacific, placing a seasoned internal leader atop a regional rental housing platform that has grown to US$3.9 billion in assets under management since the firm entered the region in 2017.

Livelli, who will be based in Sydney, is expected to assume the role in early 2027. He will oversee Greystar's operations across Australia, Japan, China, Singapore and South Korea, working alongside established country leaders and local teams that now total more than 250 people across the region.

A Platform Built Over Nearly a Decade

Greystar entered Asia-Pacific in 2017 and has spent the intervening years assembling a vertically integrated investment, development and property management business. As of June 30, 2026, the platform encompasses more than 11,500 rental units and beds across the region.

Recent transactions illustrate the breadth of the strategy. In 2025, Greystar completed the A$1.6 billion acquisition of a 5,662-bed purpose-built student housing portfolio in Australia — seven assets spanning Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra that were previously held by GIC and Wee Hur, with Wee Hur retaining a 13% equity interest in the new ownership structure. Greystar subsequently launched the portfolio under its "Accolade by Greystar" brand, bringing 4,084 beds across six properties under operational control, with the final Melbourne asset handed over in July 2025.

In Japan, Greystar has acquired more than 5,500 rental units across more than 180 properties since entering that market in 2020. By the first quarter of 2026, the firm had disposed of 77 properties comprising more than 2,700 homes, signaling an active capital-recycling phase in one of Asia-Pacific's most established multifamily markets.

Livelli's Track Record at Greystar

Livelli spent six years at Greystar building and leading its South America business before this appointment. Under his leadership, that platform surpassed approximately US$800 million in assets under management, completing 19 investments and eight third-party management contracts totaling approximately 6,000 units. He also raised Greystar's first discretionary commingled fund in Chile and established major institutional investment partnerships. Livelli brings more than 20 years of international real estate investment, development and property management experience.

"Our ambition is to be at the forefront of that growth, and Tom is the right leader to take our business forward," said Bob Faith, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Greystar. "He knows Greystar and has already demonstrated his ability to build and lead a high-performing, vertically integrated platform and deliver for our investors."

Wes Fuller, Chief Investment Officer at Greystar, pointed to the firm's global data infrastructure as a competitive advantage Livelli will be able to leverage. "One of Greystar's greatest advantages is the depth of data and operating insight generated by a global platform of more than 1.1 million homes and beds," Fuller said. "Tom has built and led vertically integrated platforms across multiple continents and market cycles. He understands that translating global capital and data into successful investment outcomes requires judgement earned on the ground, market by market."

Market Conditions Driving Regional Expansion

The appointment comes against a backdrop of accelerating institutional interest in Asia-Pacific rental housing. Living-sector transaction volumes across the region reached US$12.6 billion in 2025, a 77% year-on-year increase. Activity has remained elevated into 2026, with first-half volumes reaching US$6.1 billion, up 1% year-on-year.

Student housing has been among the fastest-growing segments within that broader living sector, with 2025 volumes roughly tripling compared with 2022 levels. Student housing's share of total living-sector investment volumes rose to 12% in 2025, up from 8% three years earlier.

Structural undersupply underpins much of that investor interest. Across most Asia-Pacific markets, purpose-built student accommodation provision sits below 10% of the student population — a fraction of the 29% to 45% penetration rates seen in the United Kingdom and United States. Australia alone would require approximately 80,000 additional beds to reach provision levels comparable to the Netherlands. New supply of roughly 28,000 beds is forecast to come online between 2026 and 2028, a figure that analysts expect will only marginally lift overall penetration rates.

Faith framed the regional opportunity in terms of portfolio diversification for global investors. "For global investors, the opportunity is not simply the scale of the region, but the ability to access fundamentally different residential markets and return drivers within a single region," he said. "We believe that creates an increasingly important role for Asia-Pacific in global real estate portfolios."

Greystar's Global Context

Greystar manages and operates more than US$350 billion of real estate across more than 270 markets globally, with offices throughout North America, Europe, South America and Asia-Pacific. The firm's global assets under management exceed US$80 billion, including more than US$34 billion of development assets and approximately US$36.5 billion of regulatory assets under management as of December 31, 2025. Greystar is the largest operator of apartments in the United States.

The Asia-Pacific appointment positions Livelli to lead what Greystar describes as the next phase of growth for a regional business that now spans five countries and combines local investment, development and property management capabilities with the resources of one of the world's largest rental housing platforms.

Sources

Greystar Newsroom — Greystar Appoints Tom Livelli to Lead Asia-Pacific (Sept. 15, 2026)