JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group has appointed James Smithers as Senior Vice President, Pub Investment Sales, to follow the recent appointment of Sean Flynn as Senior Director in Perth.
Smithers brings over 25 years of operational experience to the JLL team, having worked some large and respected hospitality groups from across the country. In addition he has an extensive background working with private equity institutions and high net worth syndications.
Ben McDonald, JLL’s Managing Director, Head of Pubs, Investment Sales said: “James’ unique skillset, commercial acumen and deep relationships with industry stakeholders combine to create a key differentiator for our team in the market and we couldn’t be more excited about him joining JLL.
“With transaction volumes set to rebound from $1.4bn in 2024 following greater certainty in the legislative environment and significant capital flows seeking deployment opportunities in the sector, we are investing in the business now for heightened growth in the future.”
JLL’s statement on Smithers’ appointment said he “brings with him a proven track record of influencing strategic investment projects, raising capital and driving high level change enablement across the pub and hospitality landscape”.
JLL also said it has several strategic initiatives underway to support the continued growth of the business along with the national expansion objectives of key clients including Flynn’s appointment.