BlackRock, Centurion, Coliwoo, Arch to Talk Residential Opportunities at Singapore Forum

Residential experts will share their views on how changes in society and economy are reshaping demand in Asia Pacific as part of a panel discussion at the Mingtiandi Singapore Forum on 13 May.

For a wide-ranging look at regional opportunities in the living sectors, MDW Consultancy founder Mireille Wan will sit down with panellists from investment titan BlackRock, purpose-built housing provider Centurion, co-living platform Coliwoo and private equity firm Arch Capital.

The discussion is part of a series of expert-led talks at the full-day event, which is sponsored by Yardi and takes place at the Conrad Centennial Hotel in Singapore.

More than 45 speakers are due to take the stage at the event, with over 250 executives expected to attend. Tickets to the forum are still available at the link above.

APAC Living in Focus

The panellists include Andrew Lee, who leads BlackRock’s real estate investments across Singapore, Southeast Asia and South Korea. The $11.6 trillion asset manager joined with rental accommodation specialist Weave Living last year to acquire Citadines Mount Sophia in Singapore from CapitaLand Ascott Trust for S$148 million (then $111 million) and is also buying Citadines Raffles Place in partnership with Malaysia’s YTL Corp.

Joining Lee will be Ho Lip Chin, chief investment officer of Centurion Corp, which operates a portfolio of more than 65,000 beds for student and worker accommodation and is considering the launch of a Singapore-listed REIT.

From Coliwoo comes Lim Lung Tieng, who founded the co-living specialist and chairs parent company LHN Ltd. Coliwoo has nearly 3,000 keys under its living strategy, including co-living properties in Singapore and serviced apartments overseas, and LHN has applied to spin off the subsidiary into an SGX-listed business.

Finally the panel welcomes Jonathan Umali, chief investment officer of Arch Capital, whose investments include a portfolio of 25 multi-family assets in Tokyo.

Heavy Hitters Take Stage

In addition to the residential investment session, a keynote panel will feature Oxford Properties’ Asia Pacific head Alessandro Fiascaris, George Agethen of CDPQ, Knight Frank Singapore chief executive Galven Tan and Hilton Asia Pacific president Alan Watts for a look at the biggest challenges facing the real estate sector in the year of trade wars and tariffs.

Also on the schedule are panels on student housing, hospitality, APAC industrial and infrastructure, Singapore’s role as a global capital hub and India investment opportunities.

Mingtiandi will also interview top industry executives on stage, including a spotlight session with Nicholas Bischoff, chief executive of Stonepeak-backed logistics specialist Equalbase, who will be appearing together with Jon Sim, investment director of the company’s Northmod fund management affiliate.

Another interview will feature Bart Price, the newly minted CEO of Vita Partners Real Assets, a life sciences real estate joint venture between Warburg Pincus and Lendlease. Joining Price will be Warburg Pincus principal Tag Yuxiang, who developed the Vita Partners venture from its early stages, and CBRE consultant Rimon Ambarchi, who advised the JV on its purchase of a $1.2 billion Singapore portfolio from a Blackstone partnership late last year.

A third interview will bring on stage Stephen Gaitanos, founder, group CEO and managing director of Asia Pacific’s largest student accommodation provider Scape, for a discussion of the future of Australia’s residential market and how investors can benefit from helping to address the country’s housing challenges.

Full details of the event are available on Mingtiandi here.