PropConnex Spotlight
PropConnex Spotlight is an exclusive interview series featuring distinguished leaders in the real estate industry. Through in-depth conversations, they share their journeys - what drew them to real estate, the mentors who shaped their paths, pivotal career milestones, and invaluable insights into the ever-evolving market.
Edition 2 introduces Behind the Role, a new series that explores the breadth of careers across the real estate industry. This series spotlights professionals across key functions - from capital transactions and leasing, to development, asset management, and investor relations - unpacking what day-to-day looks like, how their roles contribute to the broader investment lifecycle. Through these conversations, we aim to demystify the industry and provide practical, real-world insights into the diverse pathways within real estate.
PropConnex Spotlight
Declan Walsh, QIC | Behind The Role | PropConnex Spotlight
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🎙️ Behind the Role | Declan Walsh – Director of Real Estate Funds Management (QIC)
From Cambridge to Abu Dhabi to Brisbane — Building a Career in Real Estate Funds Management
What does it actually take to manage billions of dollars of other people's money — and turn abandoned office towers into thriving assets?
In this episode of Behind the Roll, host Samara Issa sits down with Declan Walsh, Director of Real Estate Funds Management at QIC, for a conversation that spans three continents and 18 years in the industry. From valuing property at JLL, to a Cambridge MPhil, to 12 years investing across Asia and the Middle East at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority — Declan's path is anything but linear, and that's exactly the point.
Inside this episode:
- 🏢 What a fund manager really does — and why fiduciary duty is the golden rule
- 🧬 Why QIC is betting on life sciences as Australia's next big real estate opportunity
- ♻️ Why ESG isn't a "nice to have" — it's a commercial necessity
- 🌍 The case for getting comfortable with discomfort (and moving overseas)
- 💡 The one question Declan asks every candidate he interviews — at every level
- 🎓 How to break into QIC through PropConnex, internships, and the 2027 grad program
Whether you're a student weighing your first move in real estate or just curious what fund managers actually do all day, this episode is packed with hard-won, honest advice.
🎧 Listen on the go:
Spotify: PropConnex Spotlight
Apple Podcasts: PropConnex Spotlight
🌐 Learn more about the QIC Graduate Program here: https://www.qic.com/About-QIC/Careers-and-Graduate-Program
PropConnex Spotlight Series |Behind the role
PropConnex Spotlight Series |
Connecting students with Australia's commercial real estate industry.