Asia Real Estate People in the News 2021-06-28

As Asia’s real estate community prepares to enter the second half of the year, signs of a market recovery are showing up in the rosters of some of the world’s largest property players, including new hires and promotions at GLP, China Vanke and Lee Kum Kee Group.

The big news of the week comes from the world’s largest real estate fund manager, which has named a global head of diversity just over a month after upgrading its leadership on environmental, sustainability and governance issues.

Blackstone announced recently that it has appointed Devin Glenn as its new global head of diversity, equity and inclusion. Based in New York as a managing director with the company, Glenn started work earlier this month with the US-based fund manager, where she is responsible for helping to achieve a more diverse and inclusive workplace both at Blackstone and in its portfolio companies. Having achieved her juris doctor degree at Columbia Law School in 2005, Glenn had spent the last 15 years at law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where she had served most recently as assistant director of diversity, equity and inclusion.

GLP has hired Miao Song as its new global chief information officer, to look after all aspects of technology at the industrial real estate fund manager, as well as to oversee the company’s global data and digital strategy, the company said in a statement. A graduate of Peking University, Miao most recently was based in Brussels where she served as global CIO for Mars Petcare, and was also a board member of Mars Belgium. Having worked in information technology for nearly three decades, Miao also has experience at Johnson & Johnson, Royal Dutch Shell and Nestle.

Mainland development giant China Vanke announced this past week that it has appointed Liu Xiao as executive vice president and chief operating officer of the company, replacing Wang Haiwu, who is set to be reassigned to other duties. Liu moved up to his new role after first joining Vanke in 2009 and working most recently as chief partner and chief executive of the developer’s northern China division. Now 42, Liu is a graduate of Beijing’s Renmin University as well as Harvard Business School, and worked at McKinsey & Company before joining the developer.

Andy Ma has been promoted to general manager of asset management for Greater China at Infinitus Property Investment, according to an update to his LinkedIn profile. Continuing to be based in Shanghai, Ma takes his step up at the division of Hong Kong’s Lee Kum Kee Group just over four years after joining the company best-known for its cooking sauce products. A graduate of the China European International Business School (CEIBS), Ma also has previous experience with Colliers International and CBRE.

Colliers International has named Paul Chua head of capital markets and investment services for the Philippines, according to a recent company announcement. Reporting to the property consultancy’s Philippines chief, Richard Raymundo, Chua is charged with building the company’s relationships with real estate investors, securing exclusive mandates, and driving transactions. The role is a return engagement with Colliers for Chua, who had previously served as head of advisory for the property consultancy’s Philippines unit in 2011, and had worked most recently with developer Abolitz Land.

Patrick Gidney has joined Colliers in Singapore as senior director of occupier services, according to a recent company statement. Reporting to June Chua, executive director and head of occupier services for Colliers in the city, Gidney joins Colliers after just less than a year with serviced office provider IWG in Singapore, where he had served as Asia development director. The graduate of London’s Cass Business School also has previous experience with JLL and Cushman & Wakefield in Singapore, as well as having worked with Savills in Hanoi.

Gaw Capital has hired Janelle Wong as an associate director with its leasing and asset management team in Singapore, according to a LinkedIn update. Wong joins the Hong Kong fund manager from local real estate investment firm 8M, where she had served more than six years with the company, including working most recently as a director of asset management. The National University of Singapore graduate also has previous experience with JLL.

Stanley Kwok has been promoted to assistant general manager for asset management with Link REIT in Hong Kong, according to an update to LinkedIn. Kwok received his upgrade recently after just a year and a half as a senior manager with Asia’s largest real estate investment trust, where he has been steadily climbing the ranks since joining as an asset planning manager in 2016. The University of Hong Kong graduate also has prior experience with Swire Properties in Hong Kong and mainland China.

If you know of other Asia real estate professionals changing their jobs, getting promoted or just doing something exciting, please contact us here at Mingtiandi.