Forging a career in the logistics real estate industry 

As a UCT student, Tristan Fernandes would often admire the landmark FNB Portside building, set in Cape Town’s central business district. Little did he know that at that stage that it would become the first office he would work in full time, at Equites. 

In the below Q&A—the final instalment of our early-career development blog series—we explore how Tristan’s curiosity, determination and commitment to learning have shaped his career so far and equipped him to take on new challenges.  

Tristan is currently a Development Manager based in our Johannesburg office and is in the process of expanding his knowledge base as one of the first-ever participants in Equites’ in-house MRICS programme, together with Kirana Malapermal, who shared her experience recently. 

Here’s what Tristan had to say. 

How did your journey with Equites begin? 

I first heard about Equites during a group presentation on South African REITs at UCT while completing my post-graduate degree in Property Studies. Later, when exploring career options, I came across Equites’ six-month internship programme on its website and decided to apply during my honour’s year. 

Walking into the iconic building for an interview was quite a surreal moment for me—as was securing a spot in the 2022 internship programme. Shortly before the December break, Nasreen Mukuddem, who has spearheaded the early-career development platforms at Equites, phoned me and offered me the position. Of course, I accepted. It was a huge relief to go into the holiday period knowing that I had a work opportunity lined up for the new year, especially considering how many young South African graduates struggle to secure work after completing their degrees. I was grateful and excited for the Equites internship challenge that lay ahead in the new year. 

What did the internship teach you? 

At the time, the internship was structured to rotate through three departments—namely, Property Management, Developments and Finance—for two months each to ensure early graduates were exposed to various functions within a successful, industry-leading REIT. I began my role in Property Management—the Billing team, specifically—before moving into Developments. This was an unexpected sequence but one that ended up setting an excellent and informative foundation from which to launch into the property industry, given the core function that the billing process plays in invoicing and the collection of rental income—essential for the functioning of any property company. 

By the time I moved into the Developments department for the second rotation, things really started to click. Within the first few weeks, I knew this was the field I wanted to grow my career in. Under the guidance of my line manager, Jaun Knoesen, who took me under his wing and quickly became a mentor to me, I was allowed the freedom to be curious in asking questions. This led me to becoming more directly involved in key projects early on in my career and allowed the spark of passion I felt for developments to continue growing into something I’m very excited about.  

How did your career progress at Equites after that? 

I became a permanent employee as a Property Development Administrator in June 2022, still at the head office in Cape Town. A few months into the role, Jaun mentioned that a Junior Project Manager position had opened in the Johannesburg office—and encouraged me to consider it. 

I’m originally from Durban and studied in Cape Town, so the idea of moving away from the coast to in-land Johannesburg felt daunting. But I took the leap and started the new role on 1 October 2022. Looking back on the years that have passed since taking this step, it was one of the best decisions I have made, leading to incredible personal and professional growth. 

What has your experience been like working in the Johannesburg office? 

With Gauteng accounting for approximately 60% of Equites’ portfolio and hosting several prime logistics nodes where we have developed or are busy developing facilities, I have gained exposure to a number of significant projects. These include various new builds for renowned tenants like Spar Encore, Cargo Compass and Normet in Equites Jet Park, as well as a number of speculative builds in both Meadowview (Linbro Park) and Riverfields (along the R21 highway). 

Due to the rate at which logistics facilities are developed, the learning curve has been steep and fast. I am thankful for that as it has also meant that I have been able to gain experience on multiple projects early in my career and have quickly been able to develop the skills necessary to continue my professional growth.  

In March 2023, I moved into the role of a Junior Development Manager and exactly two years later, in March 2025, I was promoted to my current position as a Developer Manager. Since moving into this new role, I have been working on the delivery of key projects such as a recently completed, 25 000 m², pre-let development in Riverfields and notable pipeline developments like the 90 000 m², Tiger Brands Mega DC project. 

Looking back, what parts of the internship set you up for success in the field of development? 

Three things stand out to me personally. Firstly, I appreciate that I had the chance to start my journey with Equites at the head office from a relationship perspective. 

Developing good professional relationships and a strong network really matter, especially within the property industry, where cross-team and multi-region communication is imperative for success. 

Secondly, as I mentioned earlier, starting out in the Property Management department helped me to gauge what happens at handover and what property managers need to perform their duties well.

Since the functions of the Property Management, Developments and Finance departments are tightly interwoven, that early foundation helped me to establish principles and processes that enable me to function more efficiently and effectively in my current role. 

Thirdly, the initial structuring of the programme itself gave me unprecedented access to multiple departments and allowed me to find my passion within the property industry quickly. With that, working and growing at Equites has been fun, with ever-expanding opportunities, and deeply fulfilling.

You’re now pursuing Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) accreditation. What motivated that decision? 

Continuous professional development is important to me. My UCT Property Studies degrees meet the educational requirements for RICS registration, so I have been aware of the professional body’s global standing for several years, and told Jaun early on in my employment that I would like to pursue RICS accreditation. 

Towards the end of 2024, Nasreen and Melanie Brown, our HR Manager, together with Jaun, began the process of selecting a UCT Property Studies graduate to participate in the first-ever in-house MRICS programme at Equites.  

Given that the qualification process is a long and admin-intensive one, the team decided it would be valuable to appoint an Equites employee to walk the road alongside the UCT graduate from a support perspective. During this period, Kirana and I were selected. 

Kirana recently shared her insights on the process and the specialist pathway that she chose to focus on. Which RICS pathway are you following, and why? 

Yes, Kirana chose to specialise in a Commercial Real Estate pathway, and I am pursuing the same. This is a field I’m keen to deepen my expertise in, particularly in development appraisals, structuring multi-phase development finance and best practices in client care and sustainability.  

In pursuing this pathway—which requires leveraging the full Equites team’s experience and expertise across the various departments—I can honestly say that everyone has been hugely supportive and committed to helping us build the competencies we need, sharing invaluable insights and walking us through technical concepts. 

For those who have not yet read about Kirana’s experience, what does the RICS process involve? 

In a nutshell, the MRICS route via ​​APC involves a period of structured training which takes place over two years or less in some cases, depending on prior experience.

During this time, participants need to build professional experience (a total of 96 CPD hours) and are required to keep a work diary, develop and record competencies (in the form of a “Summary of Experience”) across different areas—for example, lease negotiations, development funding and accounting principles—and at different levels.  

We must also prepare a case study on a project we have worked on, which I’ll be basing on the earlier mentioned 25 000 m² pre-let development in Riverfields. Once we have confirmation that we have met all the necessary requirements, we must participate in a final assessment interview to complete the process. 

Looking ahead, what excites you most about your career in logistics real estate? 

The pace, the scale and the impact. Logistics is one of the most dynamic and fastest growing sectors in the property industry, and Equites has given me room to grow quickly, take on responsibility early on and contribute meaningfully to developments that support South Africa’s supply chain.

Over and above that, I feel fortunate that I have been able to go through a process with the Equites team from intern to full-time employee, and I look forward to using this experience to develop and provide leadership to new university graduates. In some ways, I have already been able to do so through the development of the Student VAC Programme, together with two of my colleagues. However, since Equites is always interested in investing in young talent, we aim to grow this type of programme further in the near future.

I’m grateful for the exposure, the mentorship and the trust I have been given—and I look forward to discovering what else my career journey might bring.

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Please refer to the RICS website for detailed accreditation information and requirements.