Investing for better futures

Alex Gismondi founded Royal Oak Capital to bridge institutional-grade capital discipline with entrepreneurial value creation. Operating at the intersection of real estate, credit markets and asset management, he has built ROC as a high-conviction capital platform across three core pillars: private credit, structured equity, and direct property development. He chairs the firm’s investment committee and sets its strategic direction, with a mandate defined by capital preservation and superior risk-adjusted returns.

Alex’s edge is structural, not incidental. Rather than allocating capital passively, he draws on the proprietary ecosystem of his wider interests — principally the Transact group of businesses spanning commercial real estate services, debt and capital advisory, and insurance broking and risk advisory — to control the full investment lifecycle. Integrating the market intelligence of a dedicated agency, corporate finance and risk arm gives ROC an informational edge and proprietary deal flow rarely available to conventional managers, and allows the firm to originate, underwrite and de-risk opportunities with a precision that protects principal while capturing upside.

His experience is rooted in the stewardship of significant capital. As a trusted adviser to his own multi-generational family office — with origins in the steel and property development industries — and to other prominent family offices nationally, Alex provides strategic oversight across portfolios exceeding $3 billion in stabilised assets and development projects. That perspective shapes every ROC vehicle, each built with the alignment, capital preservation and tax-effective structuring that family offices, ultra-high-net-worth investors and wealth managers expect.

Critically, Alex invests as a principal alongside every investor. He and his family office represent approximately half of all capital raised across Royal Oak transactions to date — a degree of alignment that is the exception, not the norm, among Australian managers.

Before founding ROC, Alex honed his technical expertise at CBRE and through the establishment of the Transact group, which has advised on more than $2 billion in funding. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce with a double major in Property and Finance from Curtin University.

Bart holds a degree in Financial Management and Economics from Curtin University and brings over 30 years of commercial real estate experience. His expertise spans sales, leasing, property management and asset management across office, retail and industrial asset classes.

Throughout his career, Bart held senior roles with Hawaiian Property Group and the former ASX-listed Becton Property Group. Most notably, he spent eight and a half years as State General Manager at Charter Hall, one of Australia’s largest fund managers with a platform exceeding $80 billion. At Charter Hall he oversaw the Western Australian office portfolio, valued at over $1 billion, and subsequently managed the state’s largest industrial portfolio, valued at more than $2 billion, as WA Asset Manager – Industrial.

His leadership, strategic insight and deep market knowledge have established him as a respected industry figure and a trusted adviser across the commercial property sector.

Justin Smith brings more than 20 years of finance and professional-services experience to Royal Oak Capital, spanning funds management, property syndication, governance and operations. As Chief of Staff and Operations he is responsible for the firm’s operating platform — the systems, controls and disciplines that allow ROC to run its investment vehicles to an institutional standard.

Most recently, Justin served as a Director, General Manager and Responsible Manager for an Australian financial services licensee focused on funds management and property syndication, where he held direct accountability for AFSL compliance, fund operations and investor governance. His remit has consistently spanned the full lifecycle of a managed investment — business operations and finance, governance, accounting and tax, human resources, property finance, asset acquisition and due diligence, through to asset management and divestment.

Justin spent seven years in senior roles at Properties & Pathways, a Western Australian funds management and property syndication group, preceded by twelve years at PwC, latterly as a Director. That combination of Big Four rigour and hands-on funds management leadership underpins the control environment behind every Royal Oak vehicle and reinforces the firm’s commitment to governance, transparency and disciplined execution.

His appointment reflects ROC’s deliberate investment in the operational and compliance infrastructure that sophisticated investors and family offices rightly demand.