Executive team
Providing leadership and management expertise drawn from extensive experience in property and funds management
Darren Steinberg
Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director
BEc, FAICD, FRICS, FAPI
Darren Steinberg is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dexus and an Executive Director of Dexus Funds Management Limited.
Darren has over 30 years' experience in the property and funds management industry with an extensive background in office, industrial and retail property investment and development. He has a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Western Australia.
Darren is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Australian Property Institute. He is a Life Member and former National President of the Property Council of Australia, and a founding member of Property Champions of Change Coalition. He is also a Director of Sydney Swans Limited.
Brett Cameron
General Counsel and Company Secretary
BA/LLB, FGIA, GAICD
Brett Cameron is General Counsel and Company Secretary of Dexus companies and is responsible for the legal function, company secretarial services and compliance, risk and governance systems and practices across the Group.
He has an extensive background in real estate structuring and operations, funds management, mergers and acquisitions, private equity and corporate finance across a number of industries. Brett has held legal counsel roles in-house and in private practice in Australia and in Asia with over 25 years’ experience gained in organisations including Macquarie Real Estate (Asia), Macquarie Capital Funds, and Minter Ellison.
Brett holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts (Science and Technology) from The University of New South Wales and is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is also a member of the Law Societies of New South Wales and Hong Kong.
Deborah Coakley is Executive General Manager, Funds Management with responsibility for managing Dexus’s $44.5 billion funds management business which comprises a number of wholesale pooled funds, capital partnerships, retail funds and listed REITs.
She has more than 25 years’ experience in management roles in consulting, human resources and outsourcing gained in organisations such as Deloitte, Qantas and Alexander Mann Solutions.
Deborah is an Executive Director of Dexus Wholesale Funds Limited and Dexus Asset Management Limited. She is also a National Vice President of the Property Council of Australia and President of their Capital Markets Division and is a non-Executive Director of the Children’s Cancer Institute. She holds a Bachelor of Business degree from University of Technology Sydney (BBus) and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).
Jonathan Hedger
Executive General Manager, Group Strategy
BCom (Hons, 1st Class)
Jonathan Hedger is Executive General Manager, Group Strategy at Dexus, with responsibility for group strategy, corporate transactions and property research.
He has 15 years' experience in the real estate and investment banking industries across strategy, transactions, financing, and research gained in roles with Deutsche Bank AG and Jones Lang LaSalle.
Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Commerce (1st Class, Hons) from the University of Auckland.
Keir Barnes
Chief Financial Officer
BCom, MBA (Exec), CAANZ, GAICD
Keir Barnes is Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Dexus and responsible for the finance function, including financial operations and performance, planning and analysis, transactions and reporting, treasury, taxation, valuations, business services and investor relations.
Keir has an extensive background in the property and funds management industry, with 20 years’ experience gained in roles across finance, funds management, real estate corporate advisory and chartered accounting.
She is a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of New South Wales and a Master of Business Administration (Executive) from the Australian Graduate School of Management. She is also a member of Chief Executive Women.
Kevin George
Executive General Manager, Office
BCom, FRICS, FAPI, GAICD
Kevin George is the Executive General Manager, Office at Dexus responsible for the group’s $23.5 billion Office portfolio.
He has over 30 years of real estate experience having held senior management roles with Jones Lang LaSalle and advising on major Australian precinct development projects.
Kevin is an advocate of the importance of cities and their role in driving economic growth and has been a Board member of the Committee for Sydney since 2015.
Kevin holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Property major) from Curtin University (WA), is a licensed real estate agent in NSW, Victoria and WA, a Fellow of the Australian Property Institute and a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. He is also a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has completed the Executive Programme (SEP) at Stanford University.
Kylie O'Connor
Global Head of Real Estate
BCom (Land Econ), GradDipAppFin, MAICD
Kylie O’Connor is Global Head of Real Estate at Dexus, overseeing the transition of the former AMP Capital real estate platform.
With more than 25 years’ experience in property, Kylie has held senior roles in funds management, audit and advisory at AMP Capital, Lendlease, and Arthur Andersen. Most recently, she held the role of Global Head of Real Estate at AMP Capital, managing a portfolio over $23 billion.
Kylie holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Land Economics) from Western Sydney University and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia. She is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, sits on the Property Champions of Change Board and is a former Board member of the Property Council of Australia.
Marco Ettore
Executive General Manager, Retail
BCom
Marco Ettore is Executive General Manager, Retail at Dexus responsible for the management and strategic direction of Dexus’s managed and co-owned retail shopping centres.
Marco has over 25 years’ experience in real estate across all aspects of retail management including fund management, leasing, investment and property management. He has held roles in senior retail management at AMP Capital and Lendlease.
He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (majoring in Finance and Marketing) from the University of New South Wales and is a Board member of The Shopping Centre Council of Australia. Marco is also a licensed real estate agent in ACT, NSW, VIC, WA and New Zealand.
Melanie Bourke
Chief Operating Officer
BCom, MBA (Exec), CAANZ, GAICD
Melanie Bourke is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Dexus where she is responsible for supporting business activity and enhancing decision efficiency across the Group. Melanie leads the People and Culture, Real Estate Operations, Risk, Marketing, Corporate Affairs and Communications, Sustainability and Technology functions, as well as leading merger and acquisition integrations.
Melanie has over 15 years of experience in the property industry, working across Finance, Investor Relations, Office of the CEO, and most recently Asset and Property Management in Dexus’s Office division.
She holds a Master of Business Administration (Executive) from the Australian Graduate School of Management, a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Newcastle and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia. She is also a member of Chief Executive Women.
Michael Bessell
Co-Head of Infrastructure
BEc, LLB (Hons), GradDipAppFin, GAICD
Michael Bessell is Co-Head of Infrastructure at Dexus, where he is responsible for jointly overseeing the $10.5 billion infrastructure funds management business, with a particular focus on origination, separately managed accounts and the PPP portfolio.
Michael has over 30 years of experience in investment management and investment banking, with a focus in acquisitions, fund raising and developing infrastructure projects as a sponsor or principal across all infrastructure subsectors. Prior to his tenure at Dexus, Michael held the same role at AMP Capital, and prior to that held roles at NM Rothschild & Sons and Schroders.
Michael holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Economics from the Australian National University, a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from the Financial Services Institute of Australasia and is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Michael Cummings
Co-Head of Infrastructure
BEng (Hons), CMEngNZ, FAICD
Michael Cummings is Co-Head of Infrastructure at Dexus, responsible for leading the asset management and co-mingled funds.
Michael has an extensive background in infrastructure spanning more than 30 years, with previous senior roles at AMP Capital, Brookfield Infrastructure and Vector NZ.
He is a Director of Australian Pacific Airports Corporation (Melbourne Airport), Endeavour Energy, Opal Healthcare, Powerco NZ and Board Chair at Evergen. Michael is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and a Chartered Member of Engineering New Zealand.
Michael holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Edinburgh, and graduated from the Strategic Leadership Programme at Millbrook, New Zealand.
Ross Du Vernet
Chief Investment Officer
BBus, MBA, AMP
Ross Du Vernet is Chief Investment Officer (CIO) at Dexus, having oversight of the investment management function for Dexus's balance sheet. Ross also has responsibility for transactions and property development activities across the wider Dexus group.
Ross has more than 20 years of extensive experience in the property industry with a background in corporate transactions, strategy, and funds management in Australia and abroad.
He holds a Master of Business Administration from the Australian Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Business (Finance, Banking) from the University of Technology Sydney. He has also completed the Advanced Management Program at the Wharton School of Business.
Stewart Hutcheon
Executive General Manager, Industrial, Healthcare and Alternates
Stewart Hutcheon is Executive General Manager, Industrial, Healthcare and Alternates at Dexus.
Stewart has over 35 years' experience in property in Australia, Asia and the Middle East. He has a broad background in property across all sectors gained in organisations including MAF Properties, Colonial First State, AMP Capital Investors, Lendlease and Westfield Holdings.
Stewart is a qualified valuer, has a postgraduate certificate in International Management from MGSM and is a licensed real estate agent. Stewart is a board member of The Shopping Centre Council of Australia, a member of the Australian Property Institute and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.