Sustainable real assets boutique launches

A new investment boutique has launched in Melbourne, focused on sustainable and inclusive real assets.

Peter Johnston, James Hooper, and Alexandra O'Dea have come together to form Socia Investors, 'socia' being the Latin word for 'partner'.

The founders have all worked together at Lighthouse Infrastructure for the past five years; Johnston and Hooper were managing directors, while O'Dea was investment director.

Individually, the also bring experience working with the likes of Hastings Funds Management, Macquarie, IFM Investors, Willis Towers Watson, and Frontier Advisors.

Joining the trio in the investment team is Eris Fink, Penelope Laletas, Jeremy Grocott, and Dominic Clark - all also coming across from Lighthouse Infrastructure.

Serving as senior advisers to the new firm are former ISPT chief executive Daryl Browning, Charter Hall Direct Property chair Adrian Harrington, and former Lighthouse Infrastructure head of compliance Kim Rowe.

Currently, Socia Investors oversees $400 million in funds under management.

So far, the firm has some $300 million invested via the Australian Disability Accommodation Projects Trust 2 (ADAPT 2), an institutional, evergreen fund focused solely on specialist disability accommodation.

Socia Investors said it has also received further commitments for this fund which will be used to develop new and acquire existing assets.

There is also a further $100 million invested in Key Worker Affordable Rental Housing (KWARH) with provider SGCH, which use a unique private-community sector partnership model developed by Socia Investors. Socia Investors is currently working to raise capital to develop its own dedicated KWARH investment strategy and fund.

At the same time, Socia Investors is looking to work with the not-for-profit sector to incorporate sustainable investment finance for investment in real assets required by the health, aged care, and education sectors.

"In the current environment where governments are struggling to plug the gap for the enormous capital investment required to fulfill the population's unmet demand for essential services, the community sector has the ability to step in and assist through the expansion of its existing network of real assets it operates very effectively in the housing, health and education sectors," Socia Investors said.

"Socia Investors looks forward to partnering with both institutional capital and the community sector in order to facilitate this expansion to serve more community members with the essential services they require."