Vita Partners CEO Bart Price to Appear in Interview at Mingtiandi Singapore Forum on 13 May

Just a few months after taking the helm of Asia Pacific’s largest life science real estate joint venture, former Abu Dhabi Investment Council executive Bart Price will take the stage at the Mingtiandi Singapore Forum on 13 May to share his vision for the company and the sector.

Price, who served as head of growth markets with the real assets team at ADIC from 2018 until taking taking on the role of chief executive with Vita Partners Real Assets in January, is now responsible for growing the joint venture between Warburg Pincus and Lendlease as the partners seek to build a multi-billion dollar platform.

The freshly minted chief executive will be appearing in the event in an interview together with 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.

Together the three executives will explore the demographic shifts and economic forces driving returns for investors in life science real estate, while previewing their expansion plans for Singapore, Japan and other markets in Asia Pacific.

The interview is part of a full-day of real estate investment discussions taking place at Mingtiandi’s fourth annual Singapore event, with more than 250 industry leaders expected to gather to hear the more than 40 speakers taking the stage at the Conrad Singapore Marina Bay (formerly the Conrad Centennial).

Tickets for the Mingtiandi Singapore Forum are still available at the link above.

Partnering with Innovation

Under Price’s leadership, Vita Partners is fusing Warburg Pincus’ expertise and experience growing real estate investment platforms in Asia Pacific with Lendlease’s construction management capabilities, to provide the built environment for a growing life science industry in Asia Pacific.

With Asia’s growing wealth and aging populations creating demand for medical services and products, technological innovation and scientific research, Warburg Pincus and Lendlease reached a final close on their life science JV in August of last year. The partners seeded the venture with the Aussie firm’s APAC life sciences project construction management business and an asset management company that owns Leaf Minatomirai, a Japanese mall which the Sydney-based builder had converted into an R&D workplace.

The partners further expanded the venture later that same month with the purchase of the 4.5 million square foot (418,064 square metre) portfolio of Singapore business parks and R&D facilities from from entities linked to private equity giant Blackstone and Soilbuild Group chairman Lim Chap Huat.

Largest Event to Date

With just two weeks remaining before the Mingtiandi Singapore Forum, the event is set to be the company’s largest ever, as a shifting market puts first-hand information from industry experts at a premium.

In addition to the Vita Partners interview, the forum will feature 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.

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.

In addition to the three interviews, a keynote panel will bring together Alessandro Fiascaris, head of Asia Pacific with Oxford Properties, 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 Asia Pacific real estate in the year of trade wars and tariffs.

Also on the schedule are panels on hospitality investment, industrial and infrastructure in Asia Pacific, student housing, Singapore’s role as a global capital hub, Australian living strategies, India investment opportunities and residential investment across Asia Pacific.

Full details of the event are available on Mingtiandi here.