JLL Expands Ross Petar's Role to Lead Operational Real Estate Across EMEA and APAC

JLL has appointed Ross Petar to an expanded leadership role within its Value and Risk Advisory business, adding Asia Pacific oversight for Operational Real Estate to his existing responsibilities as EMEA Head of Operational Real Estate, the firm announced Sept. 14.

In his new capacity as EMEA & APAC Head of Operational Real Estate, Petar will lead the development of a connected platform spanning both regions, working alongside regional leadership teams to deliver coordinated service to clients operating across EMEA and Asia Pacific. The appointment positions JLL's Value and Risk Advisory unit to pursue growth in what the firm describes as the fastest-growing segment of its valuation market.

Building an Integrated Operational Real Estate Platform

Operational Real Estate, as defined by JLL, encompasses hotels, healthcare, senior living, student housing, data centres, self-storage, and leisure assets — income-producing property types that require specialized valuation and advisory capabilities. The firm plans to develop the integrated EMEA–APAC platform through a phased approach, with initial focus on key markets across both regions and priority sectors including hotels and data centres.

Australia and New Zealand will serve as the full platform anchor across all OpRE sectors. Hotels will be prioritized across Australia and New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong, while data centres will concentrate on Australia and New Zealand, Japan, and Singapore.

Alexandra Bryant, CEO of Value and Risk Advisory at JLL, said the appointment strengthens the firm's platform to meet growing client demand. "Operational Real Estate represents the fastest-growing segment of our valuation market, and this appointment strengthens our Value and Risk Advisory platform to meet growing client demand," Bryant said. "Ross's expanded role will enable us to build consistent operational excellence across both regions while maintaining the local market expertise our clients value. This strategic connectivity will strengthen our ability to serve multinational clients and accelerate our growth trajectory."

Petar Brings More Than Two Decades of OpRE Experience

Petar has worked with clients across core operational real estate sectors for more than 20 years. "I've seen first-hand how the operational asset classes continue to gain strategic importance for investors and operators alike as they seek to diversify more into the income producing asset classes," he said in a statement. "I look forward to working closely with our APAC colleagues to bring the same depth of expertise and client focus to this region, as we position JLL to lead in one of the most dynamic growth segments in real estate."

The expanded role mirrors a broader strategic pattern at JLL. The firm has pursued a similar dual-region leadership structure in other advisory lines, including the expansion of Brad Greenway's role to lead Debt Advisory across both EMEA and APAC — a move JLL cited directly as a comparable model for the Petar appointment.

APAC Hotel and Data Centre Markets Drive Urgency

The timing of the appointment coincides with a sharp upturn in Asia Pacific operational real estate investment. APAC hotel investment volumes reached $6.8 billion in the first half of 2026, a 54% increase versus the same period in 2025. JLL projects full-year 2026 hotel investment growth of 15% to 20% over 2025 levels, with Japan expected to represent 35% to 40% of total regional volume. In 2025, 84% of APAC hotel transaction volume was concentrated in five markets: Japan, Greater China, Australia, Singapore, and South Korea.

Data centre demand across the region has similarly accelerated, driven by digital infrastructure investment across Australia, Japan, and Singapore — three of the four markets JLL has identified as initial priorities for its expanded OpRE data centre coverage.

JLL reported total revenue of $6.93 billion for the second quarter of 2026, up approximately 10% to 11% year-over-year, with six-month 2026 revenue of $13.3 billion. The firm operates in more than 80 countries with a global workforce of more than 112,000.

Strategic Focus on Multinational Client Service

The integrated platform is designed to enable consistent service delivery standards, cross-regional expertise sharing, and coordinated support for multinational clients — a client base that increasingly requires advisory continuity across EMEA and APAC as capital flows into operational asset classes from both regions.

Petar will work closely with APAC leadership teams to establish operational frameworks across key markets in the region, with the platform built out in stages over the near term.

JLL is a Fortune 500 company with annual revenue of $26.1 billion and more than 200 years of operating history.

Sources

JLL Newsroom — JLL appoints Ross Petar to lead operational real estate across EMEA and APAC (Sept. 14, 2026)