Meet Emira’s New CEO - James Day

Following the announcement of his appointment in May, James Day has formally assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer at Emira Property Fund (JSE: EMI), one of South Africa’s most established diversified real estate investment trusts (REITs). Day has served as a non-executive director of Emira since October 2023 and now moves into executive leadership with first-hand knowledge of the business’s strengths, priorities and market position.

“Emira is a business with strong fundamentals, a clear strategy and a highly capable incumbent executive team. It is positioned for continued, sustainable value creation,” says Day.

Day joins Emira’s leadership team alongside long-serving executives Ulana van Biljon, Chief Operating Officer, and Greg Booyens, Chief Financial Officer.

A Chartered Accountant with a strong foundation in finance and real assets, Day brings extensive local and international experience to the role. As a CA(SA), his career began in audit and finance with BDO/Grant Thornton in South Africa and the United States, and went on to include roles at Brookfield Asset Management and Elanor Investors Group in Australia.

Cape Town-born and bred, he returned to South Africa to work in the property sector, including as CFO of Botswanan-listed RDC Properties, which secured the successful takeover of Tower Property Fund during his tenure. Most recently, he served as Financial Director at Castleview Property Fund.

Outside the boardroom, Day enjoys the outdoors, travelling and long-distance running.

With an agile mindset and a focus on outcomes, Day brings a practical, adaptable and long-term approach to his new role. A systems thinker, he values foresight and risk mitigation, and works to cut through complexity and unlock performance efficiently and enduringly.

“What excites me about Emira is the strength of the team, the quality of the platform and the opportunity to keep delivering value by doing the foundational things right and sharpening our strategic edge where it matters most,” says Day. “Emira’s strategy remains consistent: keeping our capital productive through diligent asset management, disciplined capital recycling and continued value-accretive investment with the goal of meaningful stakeholder value creation.”

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