Savills Australia has appointed industry heavyweight Michael Fenton to head up the business’ national Industrial & Business Services division as part of a country-wide company restructure.

Mr Fenton returns to Savills following more than nine years at JLL, where he operated as the company’s Australian Head of Industrial and New South Wales Managing Director.

He brings with him more than 24 years of experience, including senior roles at Dexus and CBRE.

Savills Australia & New Zealand’s Chief Executive Officer, Paul Craig, said he was excited to welcome Mr Fenton to the business and looked forward to seeing the Industrial agency thrive under his guidance.

“We are delighted to have someone with such extensive industry experience rejoin Savills,” Mr Craig said.

“This is a significant appointment for the business, and we are confident that Michael’s leadership will ensure the continued growth and success of the Industrial & Business Services product line, which is one of our core disciplines.

“Michael’s track record is the perfect platform to strengthen our already high-performing Industrial business and drive the team to win a greater market share.”

Mr Fenton has been involved in several major transactions totalling more than $4.5 billion, including the recent $1.073 billion sale of the GIC Australian Logistics Portfolio to Ascendas REIT, the $253 million sale of the Coles Chilled Distribution Centre at Eastern Creek to Mapletree Logistics, and the $303 million sale of the Equity Commonwealth Portfolio to Propertylink.

He will be based out of Savills Sydney office and work closely with the existing Industrial & Business Services teams in Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia.

"I am looking forward to providing our clients with a seamless and best-in-class service by mobilising the strength of national industrial business across all disciplines, and leveraging the strong connectivity with the global business, particularly in Asia,” Mr Fenton said.

The appointment follows Savills Australia’s national restructure, which will see the company shift from its current state-based model to a national business model from 1 August.

Mr Craig said the change was part of the business’ three-year strategic plan to implement a national capability to operate more efficiently and respond better to clients’ needs.

“We’re looking forward to watching our people flourish under this new structure, and are confident it will help us attract and retain the highest-level talent in the months and years to come,” he said.

“This is a very exciting time for Savills.”

Mr Fenton will start with Savills Australia on 13 August.