This week China’s real estate community witnesses some senior management turnover from southeast Asia’s largest developer, a changing of the guard at UK developer Grosvenor, plus a familiar face from Shanghai showing up in Singapore. Read on for details.
CapitaMalls Asia CEO Lim Beng Chee is leaving the retail subsidiary of Singapore’s CapitaLand Ltd after serving as the developer’s CEO since November 2008. Lim’s departure is scheduled to take effect at the end of this year, according to a statement from the company on September 2nd. During June CapitaLand, Southeast Asia’s largest property firm by assets, acquired the shares it didn’t already own in CapitaMalls Asia in a US$2.45 billion cash deal.
CapitaLand China CEO Jason Leow was just announced as the new head of CapitaMalls Asia, replacing Lim Beng Chee. Leow will take over as CEO of the mall developer effective April 15th, according to a statement from the company. Leow has been CapitaLand’s China CEO since 2009, and has been based in China with the Singapore government-linked developer for the last 13 years, where he presided over the establishment of Raffles City projects in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu and other cities.
Lucas Loh is now CEO of CapitaLand China, taking over from departing chief Jason Leow with the China branch of the Singapore-listed developer. Loh has been with CapitaLand China since 2001, most recently serving as Deputy CEO and Chief Investment Officer. Prior to joining CapitaLand, the graduate of National University of Singapore had served for five years with Singapore government investment house Temasek Holdings.
Nick Loup is leaving his post as CEO and Managing Director of Grosvenor Asia-Pacific to join the board of an as-yet unnamed UK property company with interests in Europe and aspirations in Asia. According to a statement this week from Grosvenor, which is owned by Britain’s Duke of Westminster and his family, the twenty year veteran of the company’s APAC operation will handing over his duties as MD on September 29th, and leave his CEO role (and the company) on 31 March.
Ben Cha is joining Grosvenor Asia-Pacific as CEO and Managing Director, taking over from Nick Loup. Cha comes to the UK property firm after spending one year with UBS Global Asset Management, where he was Co-CEO for its joint venture investment fund in China, as well as a Managing Director of the company. Prior to his stint with UBS, Cha spent eleven years in various positions with HKR International Ltd, the Hong Kong-based developer run by his father, Cha Mou Sing.
Luis Keats has jumped to JLL, signing on as a Local Director with the property service provider, after more than eight years with rival DTZ in Shanghai. At JLL, Keats will be assuming the role of Head of Tenant Representation for Pudong, where he will be advising the company’s clients regarding office leasing requirements. Keats is a graduate of the University of Warwick in the UK and has resided in Shanghai for more than nine years.
Andy Woodward is now a Director in Singapore with Realys – the project management arm of LSE-listed Interior Services Group. Woodward formerly served for more than nine years with UK-based project management firm SIP in Shanghai, most recently as Director for Business Development. The London South Bank University-trained engineer has now been working in Asia for more than eleven years.
Paul Dwyer has been promoted to the rank of Associate Director with the Industrial Services division of Colliers International in Hong Kong. In his new role, Paul will continue to specialise in sales and leasing advisory services for clients with data centre and logistics requirements in Hong Kong. Dwyer was promoted this month after serving with Colliers in Hong Kong since September 2012, most recently as a manager in the same department.
Jay Yan has joined Savills in Hong Kong as an Assistant Manager with the UK-based property consultancy. Yan moved to Savills from competitor Colliers International after serving for more than six years with the company in Hong Kong. Yan holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Washington State University, as well as master of construction and real estate degree from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Winson Cheng is now Assistant Development Manager with The Development Studio Limited in Hong Kong. Cheng joins the boutique development shop of former Swire Chairman, and current Grosvenor non-executive chairman Keith Kerr after one year as a graduate surveyor with Knight Frank in Hong Kong, where he worked with the valuations department and was recognised with the company’s Young Talent Award.
Hannah Tse has joined Knight Frank in Hong Kong as a Portfolio Manager with the UK-based property consultancy. Tse joins Knight Frank after spending five years with JLL in Hong Kong, most recently as Assistant Portfolio Leasing Manager, after joining the company as a Graduate Trainee in 2008. Tse holds a bachelor’s degree in property management, and a master’s in real estate from The University of Hong Kong.
As usual, if you know of other China real estate professionals changing their jobs, getting promoted or just doing something exciting, please feel free to share with the rest of the community here at Mingtiandi.
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