Commercial Real Estate Canberra

As the State Chief Executive Officer of the Canberra office I am part of the Senior Leadership Team of the Australian business.  I currently run our National Government Services business and the agency business in the ACT.

I have been intimately involved in the development sector of the market for the past 30 years and consulted on more than 500 office and residential projects, with a major focus on institutional grade assets.

My experience in the office pre-commitment market is highlighted by my involvement in the delivery of the DoHA, DIMIA, DEEWR, Centrelink and Industry buildings, totalling in excess of 250,000sqm NLA.  Other major projects I have been involved in include the new Human Services building in Greenway ACT (26,000sqm), ATO building in Albury NSW, ATO buiilding in Chermside QLD and National Archives building in Mitchell, ACT 

I am advisor to the ACT Government (Australian Forum/City to Lake) and advisor to council members of the Australian National University Investment Fund.  Through my GST knowledge I heavily influenced reforms on the Tax legislation on the margin scheme.

I have been a property valuer for 27 years and I am experienced in all facets of the industry including general residential, industrial and commercial valuation work, major asset valuations, property development, government consultancy and Lease Variation assessments.

I have strong relationships with the major lending institutions, government departments, developers and builders.

My career commenced after graduating from the University of Western Sydney in 1989 and has included several market cycles.  I have completed major property valuations throughout Australia and some overseas posts including Jakarta, Singapore, Port Moresby, Tonga and Samoa.

I achieved the status of Business Valuer after completing additional qualifications through the API/University of Western Sydney and a graduate diploma in Applied Finance and Investment Analysis.

My focus since joining Colliers in July 2006 has been on major commercial assets in the ACT and the management of large government portfolios on a local, national and international level.   

Aaron specialises in the leasing of office and retail space in the Canberra CBD, City Fringe, Parliamentary Triangle and key Town Centres in  focusing on areas greater than 500sqm.

Aaron has a strong focus on providing service excellence and commitment to delivering results which has seen a  consistent delivery over and above client expectations throughout his career so far.

Aaron prides himself on having a sound understanding of the Canberra commercial property market which has enabled him to provide sound advice to landlords and tenants and stay ahead of market trends.

Aarons areas of expertise includes:

• Comprehensive campaign management via end to end leasing solutions
• Tenant identification
• Lease negotiation, sound knowledge of rental rates and leasing market conditions
• Research and market analysis
• Transactional management and reporting
• Identifying accommodation solution

As a  leader of the ACT Capital Markets and Investment Services businesses, Matthew specialises in the sale of CBD and Metro Office buildings, Strata Office, Retail and Premium Investment assets. Matthew has positioned himself and his team at the forefront of the Canberra market, achieving the dominant market share over the past 3 years and transacting over $2b in sales. His efforts earnt the Colliers Canberra team the title of REIACT Commercial agency of the year for 2017, 2018 and 2019 as well as REIA Commercial Agency of the year 2019.  In 2020,  as part of the Canberra agency team, Matthew and colleagues were inducted into the REIACT Hall of Fame.  In 2021 & 2022 Matthew and his team facilitated over $1.3b in sales throughout the ACT and other National Metro Markets.  Matthew was recently recognised as the ACT Commercial Agent of the Year for 2022 and REIA Commercial Salesperson of the Year for 2023. 

Matthew collaborates as part of the National Investment Services team and is a key decision-maker within:

• Middle Markets Office initiative
• Strata Practice Group
• Premium Investments Practice Group
• Restructuring Property Services team (where he is the ACT team leader)

He values his investment in relationships, and partners with private and institutional clients locally, nationally and internationally (through local travel to Asia). This enables him to deliver enduring value to any property appointment acting with integrity and discretion. 

Critical to his success is his ability to extract the maximum sale price for his clients, even in challenging market conditions. By combining the right expertise, market experience and connections, he has developed a strategy to maximise the potential of property to drive exceptional results.