Real estate asset manager ESR has completed its delisting from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, marking its formal transition into a privately held company on Friday (July 4).
This was seven months after the company received an offer from a consortium to take it private in a deal valued at HK$55.19 billion ($7.09 billion).
The shareholder group now includes Starwood Capital Group, SSW Partners, Sixth Street, Warburg Pincus, Qatar Investment Authority, and ESR’s original founders. Other backers, including OMERS and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, have also opted to roll over some or all of their equity into the newly privatised business.
“The successful privatisation accelerates ESR’s strategic transformation to a simplified business focused on growing long-term value in its core businesses, including logistics and data centres, and harnessing the strengths of its APAC platform for capital partners and customers,” the company said in a statement.
Along with the delisting, ESR also overhauled its management, announcing a slate of leadership changes the same day.
Brett Robson, a former global head of real estate at Macquarie Asset Management, takes over as independent board chair following his earlier appointment as Senior Adviser to the consortium in April 2025. Phil Pearce, who has led ESR’s Australia and New Zealand business since 2017, has been named president to oversee daily operations. Matthew Lawson steps in as CFO, having previously served as the company’s COO and CFO of its Australia business.
Two new CIO roles were also filled: Josh Daitch, formerly with Goldman Sachs and Mesirow Financial, will lead investor solutions and capital raising, while incoming executive David Matheson—formerly with Starwood and Oxford Properties—will head group strategy and investments.
Other appointments include Karine Scelles as chief people officer and LOGOS co-founder John Marsh as group head of development.
“”These appointments underscore our unwavering commitment to building a best-in-class platform to serve our stakeholders. That starts with exceptional talent, and we are thrilled to see Phil, Matthew, Josh, David, Karine, and John step into these critical roles. We look forward to their significant contributions as ESR enters its next exciting phase,” Stuart Gibson and Jeffrey Shen, Co-founders and Co-CEOs of ESR, said in a joint statement.
