Nicholas Kinsey joins Savills IM based in Bangkok
Savills Investment Management has installed a logistics veteran from courier giant DHL to lead its APAC logistics business as the UK-based fund manager expands its presence in the region.
Based in Bangkok, Nicholas Kinsey has been named as Savills IM’s new logistics chief for the region bringing with him nearly two decades of experience in the sector, including a four-year stint as an APAC sub-regional head for DHL.
“Activity in the Asia Pacific logistics real estate market has grown from $13 billion to over $45 billion in the past decade, with close to 75 percent of that in only four markets in 2021,” Kinsey said. “Therefore, we believe there is huge opportunity and growth to come in those and other markets, driven by growing e-commerce penetration, the demands of supply chain technology and investor appetite for the sector.”
At the same time that it steps up its shed capabilities, Savills IM is also bringing in new research leadership, with the team last week also naming former UBS executive Shaowei Toh as head of research and strategy for Asia Pacific.
The new hires are the latest in a gradual ramp-up in the region for Savills IM since Alex Jeffrey joined the firm as global CEO, based in Singapore, in 2019. That expansion has accelerated this year with the firm reaching a $117 million first closing on its $1.2 billion Asia Pacific Income and Growth Fund in May.
Asia Logistics Experience
In his new role Kinsey will be in charge of building Savills IM’s logistics business in APAC, with the help of the company’s European team, where the company already has some $5 billion in logistics assets under management.
“We are delighted to welcome a professional with Nick’s skillset and experience of both logistics and real estate to Savills IM,” said Michael Flynn, global co-head client capital at Savills IM. “Supported by our successful logistics team in Europe, we seek to build a substantial franchise here in Asia Pacific.”
Prior to joining DHL, the Western Sydney University graduate also held senior positions in logistics and real estate companies including consultancy firm XAct Solutions (which has since rebranded to TMX) where he was the director for its property division Asia for nearly four years. Kinsey also spent more than two years with freight company CEVA Logistics as their APAC real estate director and worked for ASX-listed developer Goodman Group as an asset manager based in China and Australia over a five year stretch.
New Research Chief
On the research side, the asset management affiliate of London-headquartered Savills PLC has reached into the banking world to hire Shaowei Toh, who had spent more than six years with UBS as head of research and strategy for Asia Pacific covering the real estate and private markets segments.
Shaowei Toh previously spent six years at UBS
“Market-leading research is a core component of Savills IM’s offering, driving strategy and innovative product development as well as supporting our investors,” Kiran Patel, global chief investment officer and deputy global CEO at Savills IM said. “Having someone of Shaowei’s calibre will support all our work in the Asia Pacific region and add to the intellectual capital of the company.”
Kinsyey and Toh, who will continue to be based in Singapore, joined Gabriella Aram Woo, who was appointed as an associate director in May, in the pool of new talent the UK fund manager has recruited this year.
Logistics in Focus
Savills IM’s bolstering of its logistics practice follows through on statements the company produced late last year, when it projected logistics as one of the primary trends in the APAC market in 2021, backed by a burgeoning e-commerce market and ample policy support.
The prediction by the UK firm, which manages $28.9 billion in total assets, have largely been fulfilled by a string of mega-warehouse deals this year.
These include GLP securing JPY 311 billion ($2.72 billion) last month in the first closing of its Japan Development Partners IV vehicle, as well as ESR’s planned $1.4 billion merger of ESR-REIT with ARA-Logos Logistics Trust, which was also announced in October.
In its own efforts to expand its business globally, Savills IM won some significant Asian backing this year when Seoul-based insurer Samsung Life said in May that it will acquire a 25 percent stake in the company and commit $1 billion in fresh capital over a four-year period.
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