Barrenjoey snares JPMorgan’s Rob Stanton

Rob Stanton is leaving JPMorgan for Barrenjoey Capital.

Senior real estate investment banker Rob Stanton is leaving JPMorgan to join Barrenjoey Capital.

Mr Stanton started at JPMorgan in 2007 as a real estate investment trust analyst before becoming head of Australian equities in 2011 and managing director of real estate banking in 2014.

Before that, he worked as an analyst at Macquarie Group from 2001 and a development manager at Lendlease between 1994 and 2000.

Mr Stanton worked with clients including Charter Hall, Blackstone and National Storage REIT, along with JPMorgan’s Australian investment banking co-head Simon Ranson, who has been a highly regarded investment banker in property circles over the long term.

The appointment of Mr Stanton comes amid a major reshuffle of investment bankers in Australia among the top ranks following the launch of new firms in the market.

The newly formed Barrenjoey Capital is headed by former top UBS Australia investment banking operatives, including Guy Fowler and has been on a major hiring spree ahead after launching this year.

Last month, it poached Australia’s most dominant block trader, George Kanaan from UBS along with its Australian head of infrastructure banking Jarrod Key and his team members and telecommunications and media banker Peter Nelson.

Other real estate team members have shifted roles.

One of the country’s top real estate investment banking operatives, Tim Church, recently left UBS as head of real estate in Australia to take on the role of Australian chairman at Morgan Stanley, luring to the American firm at least one team member.

Former UBS property banker Mitchell Schauer will head up real estate investment banking for Jarden Australia, which has also poached former UBS Australia investment banking head Aidan Allen, along with senior capital markets specialist Robbie Vanderzeil and Goldman Sachs Australia head of equities Sarah Rennie, who also previously worked at UBS.

In the past year, JPMorgan hired former Credit Suisse banker Duncan Mann to head up its private equity and industrial company coverage.

UBS has hired Macquarie Capital investment banker Andrew Scade to head up its real estate investment banking operations in Australia with Victoria Hardie.