Knight Frank Appoints New Consultancy, Research Heads in Singapore

Real estate brokerage firm Knight Frank announced this week that it is bolstering its consultancy and research teams in Singapore by bringing on a pair of industry veterans to lead each department.

The company’s group managing director in the country called the new positions part of Knight Frank’s innovation strategy.

“The economy and real estate landscape is changing in leaps and bounds,” said Wendy Tang, Group Managing Director of Knight Frank Singapore. “The one-size-fits-all approach is no longer applicable. Clients require more in-depth, tailored and personalised solutions to fit their businesses.”

Former Team Member Returns

The latest duo of upper-level hires includes a familiar face. After a year working first as a director of research and consulting for List Sotheby’s International Realty Singapore and then filling a similar position for Edmund Tie, Alice Tan will return to Knight Frank as the company’s Head of Consultancy in August.

Tan, a 17-year real estate pro who formerly spent six years as director of Knight Frank’s Consultancy and Research division from June 2012 to June 2018, also worked as a director of its Residential Project Marketing team from June 2018 until leaving the company last May. A graduate of the National University of Singapore, Tan will take the reins from 25-year real estate veteran Tay Kah Poh, who’s retiring after six years with Knight Frank.

New Research Leadership

After senior-level research stints with CBRE and Colliers International, 15-year industry veteran Leonard Tay joined Knight Frank Singapore as Head of Research in May. Tay will focus on developing insights to drive thought leadership and exploring data to support the firm’s business strategies, the company said.

In addition to his agency experience, Tay has also worked as a lecturer on real estate at Singapore’s Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

“The real estate market may be fraught with uncertainty and some discomfort given the current global and economic circumstances, but we believe it’s critical to relook at the business and identify channels and opportunities which can be further developed,” Tang said. “Both Alice and Leonard come with excellent market knowledge and acumen, and we are confident that the culmination of their experiences will propel the twin engines of consultancy and research to challenge the conventional and add dynamism and dimension to the business.”

The addition of Tan and Tay come shortly after a high-level appointment for Knight Frank’s operations in China. Katherine Lu was named managing director of Knight Frank in Beijing in early May, after parting ways with WeWork. Lu joined the property consultancy after just under a year as the US co-working firm’s head of partnership growth for Greater China.