Our people

Conquest, a private equity real estate firm with 22 years of operation, was founded by Michael Akkawi, who currently serves as its Chief Executive Officer. Under his leadership, the firm has leveraged its synergistic operations to manage assets exceeding $6 billion. Originally established in Australia, Conquest has expanded its footprint globally, with operations in London and plans for further international growth. Michael brings extensive expertise in real estate, development, construction, and investment management, enabling Conquest to deliver substantial returns for stakeholders while maximising the potential of investments across diverse asset classes. His vision drives the firm’s national and international expansion, ensuring operational excellence across its integrated services in real estate, private equity, and fund management. Beyond his business achievements, Michael is a dedicated philanthropist committed to creating a lasting impact. Conquest’s success continues to inspire, benefiting investors, supported companies, and the communities it serves. Today, the firm is more expectant about its potential than ever before, poised for continued growth, influence and excellence in all of its ventures.

Glenda Lam is a seasoned, strategic, and cross-functional executive with decades of operational and tactical experience across highly regulated industries, including legal, banking, real estate, and finance. Her career is distinguished by an exceptional ability to navigate complex regulatory environments, cultivating expertise in corporate governance and compliance. With an extensive legal background, Glenda has refined a sophisticated approach to applying governance principles, aligning them with business objectives to propel company success while maintaining rigorous integrity standards. Her contributions extend beyond compliance, excelling in crafting frameworks that enhance organisational resilience and foster sustainable growth. Glenda leverages sharp insight in strategic oversight, governance structures, and compliance excellence to ensure the firm operates at the forefront of industry best practices. Her adeptness at forging robust governance systems mitigates risk and unlocks opportunities for innovation and expansion in competitive markets. This blend of experience and foresight fortifies Conquest’s position as a leader in the private equity real estate sector, underscoring its commitment to operational excellence, regulatory adherence, and long-term value creation.

Hugo Fonseca, Conquest’s London Director, has shifted his expertise to the delivery phase of property development, playing a pivotal role in managing projects across London. From site acquisition through construction to final sales, Hugo oversees each phase with precision. Drawing on extensive hands-on experience and a comprehensive understanding of the London real estate landscape, he excels at spotting emerging opportunities and applying industry best practices. With a keen understanding of market trends and a savvy technological background, Hugo ensures projects are completed efficiently and positioned for maximum success while managing the business in a nimble, digitally advanced manner. His role spans land acquisition, planning, and executing high-end developments, as shown by his leadership in Conquest’s international expansion, specialising in unique, luxurious properties. His strategic insight, honed through years in London’s property sector, enables him to streamline processes and elevate the quality of real estate operations. Hugo’s ability to integrate community knowledge and cutting-edge technology enhances project outcomes, cementing his reputation as a forward-thinking leader.

Scott leads Conquest’s global capital strategy as Managing Partner. Based in the UK office, Scott oversees capital raising across the firm’s projects, funds, REITs, and investment vehicles, while driving capital deployment and investor relations to fund a rapidly growing international pipeline. Scott brings over 20 years of experience in real estate investment and development, distinguished by a proven track record of delivering more than $4 billion in transactions across the UK and Europe.

Throughout his career, Scott has successfully scaled multi-sector portfolios and institutional platforms. Most recently, he served as Group Investment Director at Zentra Group Plc, where he led group investment activity, capital formation, and strategic deployment. Prior to this, he spent nearly seven years as Investment Director at Altum Capital, leading a prominent UK and European investment and development platform with circa £1.5 billion in assets under management. His earlier career includes serving as Executive Vice President of Real Estate at Gatehouse Bank Plc, where he played a pivotal role in growing a multi-sector portfolio from approximately £300 million to £3 billion, as well as holding key investment and asset management positions at Fairhomes Group and St Joseph’s Invest.

As Conquest accelerates its institutional growth, Scott provides vital strategic leadership by overseeing fund and vehicle governance alongside the ongoing expansion of the firm’s regulatory footprint across Australia and the UK. Reflecting his long-standing industry recognition and commercial acumen, Scott was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2004 and won Property Week’s prestigious Build-to-Rent Deal of the Year in 2014.

Mike brings over 35 years of elite global tax and corporate governance experience to the Conquest platform. Prior to his retirement from PwC as a Tax Director, Mike was a pioneering force in international expansion, co-founding PwC’s Pathfinder service and the International Entrepreneur Team. In these roles, he successfully guided ultra-high-net-worth entrepreneurs and businesses navigating complex entry into the UK and global markets.

Currently, Mike serves as a Non-Executive Director (NED) for the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, contributing to its audit, nominations, and governance committees, and holds NED positions for two other major property portfolios. He also acts as a trusted adviser to premier international family offices, overseeing high-value acquisitions, risk management, and cross-border tax structures.

As Conquest continues its aggressive growth trajectory across local and international markets, Mike provides vital strategic oversight, coordinating our sophisticated tax structures and ensuring robust financial governance.

Chris Monaghan is a Senior Adviser to Conquest on property and investment management. Chris has held prominent leadership roles in the real estate and investment sectors. He was previously the Managing Director and Head of Real Estate Asset Management at listed MA Financial, and prior to that, Managing Director of Armada Funds Management, which later merged with MA Financial. In these roles, Chris originated and drove the growth strategy that grew the business to $2 billion in assets under management over 10 years. Earlier in his career, as Executive Director of Property, Advisory & Capital Markets at UBS, Chris played a key role in the divestment of over $2 billion in property across Australia. He also completed over 20 IPOs and equity capital raisings. Chris was part of one of the most successful investment banking teams in Australian property capital markets. Additionally, Chris previously served as a Director and Member of the Board of Directors at Hooker Corporate (Australia), as MD & Chairman of the Board of Directors at Hooker Corporate (SA) Pty Ltd and as Director, Agency Division and Board of Directors at Knight Frank (SA) Pty Ltd.