NEWS

Italy’s logistics real estate sector is entering a compelling phase for senior-level talent, characterised by significant capital deployment and strategic repositioning across both international platforms and domestic operators.

Market Dynamics Driving Leadership Demand

The sector attracted €1.75 billion in investments during 2024, representing 17.5% of total real estate capital, whilst the opening quarter of 2025 demonstrated exceptional momentum with €640 million invested—effectively doubling the prior year’s quarterly performance. This trajectory suggests sustained demand for transformational leadership across development, capital markets, and operational excellence.

Prime rents in Milan and Rome have reached €70/sqm/year, reflecting robust fundamentals despite absorption moderating to 2.3 million square metres in 2024 —a stabilisation rather than contraction, requiring executives adept at navigating evolving market dynamics.

Strategic Talent Requirements

The market composition reveals three distinct leadership profiles emerging:

Pan-European Integrators: Leading developers have surpassed €10 billion in European asset values, with Italian portfolios exceeding 1.1 million square metres at near-full occupancy. These platforms require C-suite executives capable of scaling operations whilst maintaining institutional-grade performance metrics.

Development Pipeline Leadership: Recent acquisitions include 200,000 square metres of development land near Rome, whilst major speculative developments are launching in Northern Italy. New fund structures targeting acquisitions necessitate executives combining development expertise with institutional capital deployment experience.

Asset Management Sophistication: Established operators require leadership capable of extracting value through active management whilst meeting ESG mandates increasingly demanded by institutional investors.

International Capital Creating Opportunity

Foreign capital represents a substantial investment in Italian real estate, with North American investors particularly focused on logistics. The market comprises a dynamic mix of global logistics specialists and Italian asset managers, each requiring distinct leadership profiles—from executives navigating complex regulatory environments to those scaling pan-European portfolios.

AW Perspective

The sector’s evolution creates specific talent requirements: executives demonstrating both development acumen and capital markets sophistication, proven ESG credentials, and operational excellence managing increasingly institutional portfolios.

With value-add and core+ strategies remaining favoured the market requires leaders capable of repositioning assets whilst maintaining competitive occupancy—a skillset commanding premium compensation across Managing Director, Country Head, and Chief Investment Officer appointments.

The confluence of international capital deployment, aggressive development pipelines, and market professionalisation positions Italy’s logistics sector for sustained senior leadership demand throughout 2026, particularly favouring executives combining Italian market expertise with pan-European platform experience.