Independent governance and leadership for fund managers
Investment Governance
Board & Committee Roles
Interim Leadership
Martin Ritchie chairs the Investment Committee of Kinkora Investments and ran GPT’s $10bn Wholesale Office Fund for 16 years.
He works with fund managers and investment boards as a committee member, director, adviser or interim executive.
$2bn to $10bn: grew GPT’s Wholesale Office Fund over 16 years, outperforming its benchmark
16 years reporting to a majority-independent responsible entity board
Three liquidity events managed: 2008-09, 2016 and 2020
Industry standards lead on RG97 fee and cost reporting and on unit pricing & acquisition costs
Looking for an independent committee member, director or interim executive?
Let’s talk.
Services
Committee & Board Roles
Independent member or chair of investment committees and compliance committees, and director of responsible entity boards.
I bring the perspective of someone who has sat on the management side of the table and knows what to ask.
Interim & Part-time Leadership
Head of Funds, fund manager or governance lead for three to six months, when a manager is between leaders, preparing for growth or rebuilding its governance.
Investment Governance Advice
Investment criteria, approval processes, delegated authority, and board and committee reporting.
Fund strategy reviews that bring a team’s collective experience to bear on each fund.
Executive Coaching
Coaching for fund management leaders on decision-making, team structure and board relationships.
Fractional: Part-time contract
Interim: Short-term contract
Consulting: Ongoing
Project: To completion
Charging: Day rate, retainer or fixed fee
Service Model
Independent: Paid for my time, never on success. conflicts declared and cleared before I start
Tested judgement: 16 years and 3 liquidity events running a $10bn fund
Practical: Clear papers, clear decisions, minutes out within 24 hours
How I work
About
Meet Martin Ritchie, Director
Martin Ritchie is independent chair of the Investment Committee of Kinkora Investments
He spent 16 years running GPT’s $10bn Wholesale Office Fund, then led GPT’s $14.2bn office business
From 2018-2024 he chaired the Property Council’s Fund Managers’ Committee
Qualifications
Member, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS)
Graduate, Australian Institute of Company Directors, (GAICD)
Investment Management Workshop,
Harvard Business School
BSc (Hons) Urban Estate Surveying,
Nottingham Trent University, UK
Independent Chair, Investment Committee - Oct 2026+
Strategic Adviser to CEO & CIO - Jul 2026+
Kinkora Investments
Role:
Sole Independent on a committee that approves investments within limits delegated by the board, and recommends to the board above them
Remit covers acquisitions, asset management, valuations, risk, strategy, divestments and fund raisings
Designed the investment criteria and approval framework, redesigned board reporting and introduced fund strategy reviews
Chair, Fund Managers’ Committee
Property Council of Australia
6 years to 2024
Key Achievements:
Led the industry standard for reflecting acquisition costs in unit prices and returns
Led the industry’s standardised approach to RG97 fee and cost reporting
Head of Office
The GPT Group
3 years to 2024
Led GPT’s $14.2bn office business and 140 people, delivering $330m annual net income to the REIT and $360m to its funds. Member of the Group Executive and Investment Committee.
Key Achievements:
Lifted occupancy from 86% to 95% whilst meeting financial targets
Raised customer net promoter score from 71 to 83 and employee engagement from 66% to 76%
Set up Deal Review Forum to test leasing deals against agreed criteria, sharply cutting response times to customers
Turned the loss-making Flex Space business to break-even
Fund Manager
GPT Wholesale Office Fund
16 years to 2022
Launched and ran a $10bn wholesale office fund for sovereign wealth funds, Australian super funds, insurers and European pension funds; 25% of capital came from offshore.
Growth & Returns: Grew Fund from $2bn to $10bn. Returned 6.31%a year against 5.82% for the MSCI/Mercer Australia Core Wholesale Property Fund Office Index, Jul 2007- Sep 2024
Equity & Debt Raising: $2.6bn of new equity across 7 raisings; $600m debt through three medium-term note issues in Aus and US, alongside the fund’s bank debt
Investor Liquidity: Placed $1.5bn of secondary units, all buyers introduced by me and my team
Transactions: Acquired 20 assets worth $4bn, sold 10 assets worth $800m
Development: Completed 8 developments worth $2.3bn
M&A: Assessed Australand, Colonial First State Office Fund and AMP’s wholesale office fund for takeover or merger. Secured 3 assets when Dexus acquired the Colonial Fund
Sustainability: Certified carbon neutral in 2020 (Climate Active, assured by EY)
Talk to me about a committee, board or interim role
