Matthias Naumann

German asset manager DWS has appointed Matthias Naumann as head of its direct real estate business in Asia-Pacific ( APAC ). Based in Sydney, he reports to Clemens Schäfer, Frankfurt-based head of real estate for APAC and Europe.

In his expanded position, Naumann will oversee the real estate platform’s day-to-day operations and direction, while maintaining his current role as chief investment officer ( CIO ), real estate, for APAC.

In addition to expanding DWS’s presence in existing real estate markets, Naumann will be responsible for establishing strategic growth in new markets and key sectors.

He is supported by a full-service direct real estate platform across portfolio management, transactions, asset management, and research with a footprint in key cities and countries including South Korea, Singapore, Australia, and Japan.

Naumann chairs DWS’s APAC real estate investment committee, co-chairs the global real estate investment committee, and is a member of Clemens Schäfer’s real estate leadership team.

He joined DWS in 2013 and has 20 years of experience. He has covered APAC as CIO for real estate since 2021, relocating to Sydney from the firm’s Frankfurt headquarters in early 2024.

Before DWS, Naumann served as a senior analyst at AXA Investment Managers in London. Previously, he was an analyst at Invesco Real Estate in Munich and commenced his career as a portfolio analyst at Investment Property Databank in London.

He holds a post-graduate engineering degree from TU Dortmund University.