This week Greater China’s community of real estate professionals sees some top-level changes over in New York, while a local Hong Kong entertainment developer grabs talent from one of the city’s heavyweights, and those nice Swedish people who sold you Billy the Bookcase continue to expand their mainland talent pool. Read on for more details.
Sean Muellers has left his role as Chief US Representative and General Manager for the Dalian Wanda Group in the US to co-found his own China-focused advisory group. Mueller resigned from his leadership role with the Chinese commercial developer in New York after the company announced at the beginning of this month that it would close its office there by November 30th. Wanda chairman Wang Jianlin had pledged in 2013 that the company would develop a $1 billion hotel in New York, but no apparent progress has been made on that plan to date.
Peggy Luk has joined the Lan Kwai Fong Group in Hong Kong as Leasing Director. The ten-year retail leasing veteran joins the entertainment and lifestyle developer from commercial player Hang Lung Properties, where she had served as a Manager with the company’s leasing team for more than one year. Before her time with Hang Lung, the Boston College graduate had worked in retail leasing with Cushman & Wakefield in Hong Kong and New York for nearly eight years.
Ken Xie has signed up with IKEA Centres as Expansion Manager, based in Shanghai. The seven-year veteran of China’s real estate industry joins the Swedish shopping centre developer from Australia’s Lend Lease, where he had spent the last year as Development Manager. The graduate of Shanghai’s Fudan University and the University of Durham in the UK also has experience with Kerry Properties and JLL.
Peter Dampier has joined BuroHappold Engineering as Integrated Marketing Director for Asia Pacific and India, based in Hong Kong. Dampier comes to the UK-based engineering consultancy from property and infrastructure professional services the Sweett Group, where he had spent just over a year as Commercial Director for the company’s Asia Pacific operations. The graduate of Canterbury Christ Church University also spent 11 years in Asia and the UK with Gleeds.
David Massbery has jumped to Knight Frank, where he joins as an Associate Director with the property consultancy’s Hong Kong team. Massbery took on his new role with the UK-based firm earlier this month after serving for more than two years with rival CBRE in Hong Kong. Prior to coming to Asia, the graduate of the University of Reading in the UK had worked with Deloittte Real Estate in London.
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.