Chief Executive Officer

Daniel O'Brien

Chief Executive Officer

Daniel's X-FACTORS

  •  Experienced in all forms of property

  • An honest and very personable leader

  • Incredible negotiator who always pushes hard

Starting his career in 2001, Daniel is now an influential figure in NSW commercial and industrial property markets. He began his commercial real estate career at CBRE in 2005 and ran the Commercial Division in the South Sydney Office for about ten years.

Knight Frank approached Daniel to run their South Sydney division and within 18 months, he had doubled the existing team’s size and revenue and was in the Top 5 Highest Fee Writers in Knight Frank across NSW.

In June 2017, Daniel started South Sydney LJ Hooker Commercial office, in 2019 he acquired the former Ray White Commercial Inner West Office and in 2021 he acquired PCC in Chatswood. Boasting a team of 40 staff across his 4 offices and now over 1,200 managements, this growth has been sensational and a result of Daniels impeccable reputation, drive and ambition.

A top performer over the last 16years, Daniel’s contact base of developers, tenants, and owners of property in the city fringe and South Sydney is without peer.

Specialising in leasing, investment sales and residential site sales, Daniel has sold billions of dollars’ worth and leased scores of commercial, industrial and retail properties in his long career. Daniel has won numerous internal company awards across multiple firms, and from major industry bodies. He has been interviewed on multiple podcasts across various industries and has worked alongside all major institutional owners in Metropolitan Sydney.

Daniel has a personable and honest, direct and no-nonsense style which has assisted him build high performing agency teams, and he prides himself and pushes his staff to constantly be the best versions of themselves.

 

ACHIEVEMENTS

CBRE – APAC Rookie of the Year Award 2006
CBRE – NSW Rookie of the Year Award 2006
CBRE – NSW Managing Director Award for Excellence in Agency 2010
CBRE – CEO’s Award for Outstanding Leadership 2013
REINSW – Commercial Salesperson of the Year 2013
Knight Frank – Productivity Award for being #5 in the firm for the highest fees 2015
REINSW – Commercial Salesperson of the Year 2015 (Finalist)
REINSW – Best Commercial Agency 2017 (Winner)
REINSW – Best Commercial Agency 2018 (Finalist)
REINSW – Best Commercial Agency 2020 (Winner)
Telstra Best of Business Awards – NSW State Finalist 2023

Testimonials

A highly capable and friendly leasing agent

Dear Dan,

Re: 619-633 Hume Highway, Casula - lease from Ackerman Roth Pty Ltd

Thank you for bringing the above site to our attention. We are always on the lookout for new sites which are well located and this one suited our requirements very well.

From the time you brought us the site to the time we had agreed a Heads of Agreement, I found you to be attentive, quick in all your responses and you had a sound understanding of all the commercial terms we required in our leases.

In our dealings you were obviously working for the landlord (your client) but your ability to focus on the overall deal and outcome working with both parties while remaining commercial and realistic is a great asset in a leasing agent.

Some clauses in our leases do require some owners to be educated on issues such as potential contamination and remediation and I found you to have a very solid understanding of these terms, which helped get the deal over the line in the end.

I would be happy to recommend you to anyone seeking a highly capable and friendly leasing agent, who is upfront, honest, knows what they are talking about and is very easy to deal with.

Matthew Lee, NSW Acquisitions and Disposals Manager - Real Estate
May 2021
We wish you all the continued success you deserve

Dear Daniel

We want to thank you for assisting us in securing such a wonderful result for our site at 619- 633 Hume Highway, Casula.

We were impressed when you suggested a service station concept for the site and very happy when you introduced us to Shell/Viva and secured a pre-commitment for a long term lease

The rental the site will generate once completed will increase the sites value threefold from the vacant land value we originally discussed. Both Viva and Hungry Jack's are excellent tenants and we are very happy to commence the development with such high calibre anchor tenants. Your ability to think outside of the square and add value for us is why we continue to deal with you.

We wish you all the continued success you deserve and we look forward to dealing with you on a regular and ongoing basis in the future on other land holdings of ours.

Antony Elazzi, Director - Ackerman Roth Pty Ltd
May 2021
I wish all of you continued success, and would happily recommend you to anyone

Dear Daniel,

Re: Sale of 40-50 Francis St & 50 Yurong St, East Sydney

On behalf of the Society, I would like to thank you very much indeed for acting so effectively in the sale of our property in East Sydney.

This was a sale of great significance to the Society, and we were extremely pleased with the result, being well in excess of the reserve. We put this down in great part to your personal expertise and effort.

From our initial meeting on site, your ability to work as a team, and your obvious confidence in your ability to achieve the best possible price was evident.

After calling for submissions from other agencies, it was clear that you were very well qualified to sell such a property as ours, evidenced by your track record of similar sales.

One matter of great significance was the way that you handled the difficult issues associated with this property, being heritage and other constraints.

You handled these matters with faultless professionalism, combining sound ethics with commercial understanding.

The sales programme was tight, due to our wish to sell the property prior to Christmas, but you met all the mile stones comfortably, and your advertising campaign was very effective. At all times we knew what was happening with your weekly update letters and conference calls. Your advice throughout the process was welcome and valued.

The result in the auction room was a credit to all the effort that the team put in during the 4-week marketing campaign. With over 65 enquiries and about 10 bidders the auction was a great success.

I wish all of you continued success, and would happily recommend you to anyone looking to sell commercial or residential property in Sydney.

Andrew Morgan, State Property Manager
May 2021
Exceeded my already lofty expectations and it was a fantastic end result

Dear Daniel,

RE: Sale of 52 - 58 Rothschild Avenue, Rosebery

I just wanted to send you a quick thank you for putting together this sale. It was a complicated "off market" deal that was handled expertly by you.

The price you achieved on this deal exceeded my already lofty expectations and it was a fantastic end result being circa $30,000,000.

In our dealings I found you to always be professional, prompt and if you said you were going to do something, you did it!

Market knowledge, persistence and aggressiveness are all qualities you have.

I have no hesitation in recommending you to other property owners, and I look forward to working together in the future on other property deals.

Colin Walters - The Waltcorp Group
May 2021
Always honest, straight forward and professional

Dear Daniel,

RE: Sale of 107 Redfern Street, Redfern

Thank you for negotiating the successful sale of the above building for me. I was happy with the end result and was completely surprised when you negotiated a 2 week settlement for me.

Initially you were referred to me through business associates and had a very impressive track record of similar commercial sales in the City fringe and South Sydney.

During the marketing period you were diligent in your follow up of all the buyers and passed on accurate feedback of where the market was, and what the buyers were saying and thinking.

You were always honest, straight forward and professional when giving me advice on the sale and I have no hesitation in recommending you to other property owners.

I look forward to working together in the future on other property deals, should the opportunity arise.

Peter Holmes a Court
May 2021
Your advice, integrity, professionalism and honesty were first class

Dear Daniel,

RE: Successful sale of 767 - 779 Botany Road, Rosebery

On behalf of McDonald's Australia I want to both congratulate and thank you for acting as our agent in the disposal of the above asset.

It was clear from your initial submission that your track record in selling mixed use I residential sites was impressive, and after dealing with you on this matter I can see why.

Given the history of the site it was a challenging instruction, and your advice, integrity, professionalism and honesty were first class. The contract terms McDonald's needed to achieve (a short settlement and a high price) were very important to us and we appreciate that you closed the deal and reached our goals with a minimum of fuss.

We were extremely happy with the end sale result and we look forward to working with you again.

I would happily recommend you to other owners seeking a quality agent to work on their behalf.

Chris Mulcally, Real Estate Manager - NSW/ACT McDonald's Australia Ltd
May 2021
I would have no hesitation in commissioning Daniel to assist Coles with future transactions.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am pleased to provide the following testimonial as to the high credibility that Daniel O'Brien offers to a real estate negotiation process.

I have known Daniel for a number of years now and have regularly engaged him to assist me with real estate sales negotiations. He is an extremely diligent worker and has tremendous instinct when it comes to his job. Daniel recently was commissioned by Coles Group Property Developments to acquire a very important piece of commercial real estate. The process involved negotiating with eleven (11) separate owners over a period of a number of months, and at no stage was he able to reveal who the purchaser was, due to our desire to remain confidential. On at least 10 occasions, the owners of the property attempted to change the terms of the deal, and I am sure an agent of lesser quality to Daniel would have failed to yield the same result. He worked through each issue with a great deal of empathy to both parties, and in the end was able to conclude the negotiation with the optimum result for Coles.

I would have no hesitation in commissioning Daniel to assist Coles with future transactions.

I can be reached either at work on 9919 1414 or on my mobile phone, 0407 261 750 should you wish to speak to me further.

Jason Walter, Development Manager - Coles Group Property Developments
May 2021
Professional, responsive, trustworthy and extremely commercial

Dear Daniel,

I would like to sincerely thank you for the way you handled the sale of our Apparel Group Head Office at 830 Elizabeth Street, Waterloo.

Your understanding of the sensitivities around handling the transaction for us as an owner occupier was greatly appreciated. The communication I received from you during the negotiations was direct, prompt and honest. The price and terms that you negotiated and achieved had far exceeded our expectations.

This was our first transaction together and you quickly gained my confidence as being professional, responsive, trustworthy and extremely commercial.

Pleasingly but of no surprise, we were able to transact with you again, this time on the buy side. You had correctly identified our future requirements that I had for our next purchase and did an exceptional job of providing us with the confidence to exchange on the asset at 11 Bowden Street Alexandria.

I would have no hesitation in recommending you as an agent. With a strong knowledge of the property market in the city fringe and south city commercial markets and look forward to working together again in the future.

Kind regards

David Marshall, Managing Director
March 2018
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Testimonials

A highly capable and friendly leasing agent

Dear Dan,

Re: 619-633 Hume Highway, Casula - lease from Ackerman Roth Pty Ltd

Thank you for bringing the above site to our attention. We are always on the lookout for new sites which are well located and this one suited our requirements very well.

From the time you brought us the site to the time we had agreed a Heads of Agreement, I found you to be attentive, quick in all your responses and you had a sound understanding of all the commercial terms we required in our leases.

In our dealings you were obviously working for the landlord (your client) but your ability to focus on the overall deal and outcome working with both parties while remaining commercial and realistic is a great asset in a leasing agent.

Some clauses in our leases do require some owners to be educated on issues such as potential contamination and remediation and I found you to have a very solid understanding of these terms, which helped get the deal over the line in the end.

I would be happy to recommend you to anyone seeking a highly capable and friendly leasing agent, who is upfront, honest, knows what they are talking about and is very easy to deal with.

Matthew Lee, NSW Acquisitions and Disposals Manager - Real Estate
May 2021
We wish you all the continued success you deserve

Dear Daniel

We want to thank you for assisting us in securing such a wonderful result for our site at 619- 633 Hume Highway, Casula.

We were impressed when you suggested a service station concept for the site and very happy when you introduced us to Shell/Viva and secured a pre-commitment for a long term lease

The rental the site will generate once completed will increase the sites value threefold from the vacant land value we originally discussed. Both Viva and Hungry Jack's are excellent tenants and we are very happy to commence the development with such high calibre anchor tenants. Your ability to think outside of the square and add value for us is why we continue to deal with you.

We wish you all the continued success you deserve and we look forward to dealing with you on a regular and ongoing basis in the future on other land holdings of ours.

Antony Elazzi, Director - Ackerman Roth Pty Ltd
May 2021
I wish all of you continued success, and would happily recommend you to anyone

Dear Daniel,

Re: Sale of 40-50 Francis St & 50 Yurong St, East Sydney

On behalf of the Society, I would like to thank you very much indeed for acting so effectively in the sale of our property in East Sydney.

This was a sale of great significance to the Society, and we were extremely pleased with the result, being well in excess of the reserve. We put this down in great part to your personal expertise and effort.

From our initial meeting on site, your ability to work as a team, and your obvious confidence in your ability to achieve the best possible price was evident.

After calling for submissions from other agencies, it was clear that you were very well qualified to sell such a property as ours, evidenced by your track record of similar sales.

One matter of great significance was the way that you handled the difficult issues associated with this property, being heritage and other constraints.

You handled these matters with faultless professionalism, combining sound ethics with commercial understanding.

The sales programme was tight, due to our wish to sell the property prior to Christmas, but you met all the mile stones comfortably, and your advertising campaign was very effective. At all times we knew what was happening with your weekly update letters and conference calls. Your advice throughout the process was welcome and valued.

The result in the auction room was a credit to all the effort that the team put in during the 4-week marketing campaign. With over 65 enquiries and about 10 bidders the auction was a great success.

I wish all of you continued success, and would happily recommend you to anyone looking to sell commercial or residential property in Sydney.

Andrew Morgan, State Property Manager
May 2021
Exceeded my already lofty expectations and it was a fantastic end result

Dear Daniel,

RE: Sale of 52 - 58 Rothschild Avenue, Rosebery

I just wanted to send you a quick thank you for putting together this sale. It was a complicated "off market" deal that was handled expertly by you.

The price you achieved on this deal exceeded my already lofty expectations and it was a fantastic end result being circa $30,000,000.

In our dealings I found you to always be professional, prompt and if you said you were going to do something, you did it!

Market knowledge, persistence and aggressiveness are all qualities you have.

I have no hesitation in recommending you to other property owners, and I look forward to working together in the future on other property deals.

Colin Walters - The Waltcorp Group
May 2021
Always honest, straight forward and professional

Dear Daniel,

RE: Sale of 107 Redfern Street, Redfern

Thank you for negotiating the successful sale of the above building for me. I was happy with the end result and was completely surprised when you negotiated a 2 week settlement for me.

Initially you were referred to me through business associates and had a very impressive track record of similar commercial sales in the City fringe and South Sydney.

During the marketing period you were diligent in your follow up of all the buyers and passed on accurate feedback of where the market was, and what the buyers were saying and thinking.

You were always honest, straight forward and professional when giving me advice on the sale and I have no hesitation in recommending you to other property owners.

I look forward to working together in the future on other property deals, should the opportunity arise.

Peter Holmes a Court
May 2021
Your advice, integrity, professionalism and honesty were first class

Dear Daniel,

RE: Successful sale of 767 - 779 Botany Road, Rosebery

On behalf of McDonald's Australia I want to both congratulate and thank you for acting as our agent in the disposal of the above asset.

It was clear from your initial submission that your track record in selling mixed use I residential sites was impressive, and after dealing with you on this matter I can see why.

Given the history of the site it was a challenging instruction, and your advice, integrity, professionalism and honesty were first class. The contract terms McDonald's needed to achieve (a short settlement and a high price) were very important to us and we appreciate that you closed the deal and reached our goals with a minimum of fuss.

We were extremely happy with the end sale result and we look forward to working with you again.

I would happily recommend you to other owners seeking a quality agent to work on their behalf.

Chris Mulcally, Real Estate Manager - NSW/ACT McDonald's Australia Ltd
May 2021
I would have no hesitation in commissioning Daniel to assist Coles with future transactions.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am pleased to provide the following testimonial as to the high credibility that Daniel O'Brien offers to a real estate negotiation process.

I have known Daniel for a number of years now and have regularly engaged him to assist me with real estate sales negotiations. He is an extremely diligent worker and has tremendous instinct when it comes to his job. Daniel recently was commissioned by Coles Group Property Developments to acquire a very important piece of commercial real estate. The process involved negotiating with eleven (11) separate owners over a period of a number of months, and at no stage was he able to reveal who the purchaser was, due to our desire to remain confidential. On at least 10 occasions, the owners of the property attempted to change the terms of the deal, and I am sure an agent of lesser quality to Daniel would have failed to yield the same result. He worked through each issue with a great deal of empathy to both parties, and in the end was able to conclude the negotiation with the optimum result for Coles.

I would have no hesitation in commissioning Daniel to assist Coles with future transactions.

I can be reached either at work on 9919 1414 or on my mobile phone, 0407 261 750 should you wish to speak to me further.

Jason Walter, Development Manager - Coles Group Property Developments
May 2021
Professional, responsive, trustworthy and extremely commercial

Dear Daniel,

I would like to sincerely thank you for the way you handled the sale of our Apparel Group Head Office at 830 Elizabeth Street, Waterloo.

Your understanding of the sensitivities around handling the transaction for us as an owner occupier was greatly appreciated. The communication I received from you during the negotiations was direct, prompt and honest. The price and terms that you negotiated and achieved had far exceeded our expectations.

This was our first transaction together and you quickly gained my confidence as being professional, responsive, trustworthy and extremely commercial.

Pleasingly but of no surprise, we were able to transact with you again, this time on the buy side. You had correctly identified our future requirements that I had for our next purchase and did an exceptional job of providing us with the confidence to exchange on the asset at 11 Bowden Street Alexandria.

I would have no hesitation in recommending you as an agent. With a strong knowledge of the property market in the city fringe and south city commercial markets and look forward to working together again in the future.

Kind regards

David Marshall, Managing Director
March 2018
Dan is a brilliant salesman

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing this reference on Daniel O'Brien. My wife and I have ran our own small boutique commercial development and investment company for over 22 years. During that time I have met Dan on several occasions when we ventured out to look at properties in South Sydney. Our main patch is Surry Hills so it was only last year when we actually purchased a site in Alexandria that we had the good fortune to do business with Dan. Whilst I never doubted his reputation of being a performer I was nothing but impressed by his advice, honesty and performance on our project. This particular transaction involved us purchasing a large site, immediately on-selling part of it and then subdividing and selling most of the remaining lot. I must confess the strategy was Dan's and we basically followed his advice.

Dan is a brilliant salesman, but he is also direct, and was able to deliver on every promise he made. If he made a small mistake along the way he was quick to admit it. He has passion, drive and determination and I will definitely use him again. More importantly he loves his job and he has surrounded himself with a dynamic team who are equally as enthusiastic as Dan.

I would be happy to talk to anyone thinking of engaging Dan as their selling agent.

Director
March 2018

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