Even at the darkest moments of the property sector’s recent downturn – when valuations were falling, interest rates were rising and investor interest was drying up – David Harrison never lost faith. The chief executive of the $11 billion listed property giant Charter Hall has seen too many boom-and-bust cycles to get panicked by a little market turbulence.

But on Thursday, Harrison perfectly captured the mood of the listed property sector by firing the starting gun on a new chapter of growth.