Departing ALE Property Group boss Andrew Wilkinson has applauded the maturation of the pub sector and the growing appeal of the asset class, after announcing his departure as chief executive of the country's biggest owner of freehold pubs after a 16-year stint.

Mr Wilkinson, who has led the A-REIT since the ALE Property Trust was spun out of brewer Fosters and floated on the ASX in 2003, guided the group through the 2008 debt crisis, which crippled many highly leveraged groups, lifting its market capitalisation from $91 million to over $1 billion and delivering average total returns of 20 per cent per annum since IPO.