Warburg Pincus to Reveal What’s Next for China Multi-Family in MTD TV Interview

MTD TV’s Asia Multi-Family Investment Forum will feature one of the most experienced executives in China’s rental residential sector on Thursday 6 May for a spotlight interview session with Mingtiandi founder Michael Cole.

Qiqi Zhang, a managing director with US private equity firm Warburg Pincus, will appear in the exclusive interview at 10am Hong Kong time, sharing insights with viewers from his experience managing ventures including Mofang Apartments, Weave Living and Nova Property Investment.

In the one-hour session, which is sponsored by Yardi, Zhang will be joined by Jessica Yu Minjun, chair of listed developer Shanghai Golden Union Group, which specialises in urban regeneration and is known for the Shankangli project in Shanghai’s Jing An district.

Mainland Multi-Family Pioneers

During the interview, Zhang and Yu will review their involvement in creating profitable real estate investments through renovation, repositioning and marketing of existing properties in China’s core urban areas.

Zhang led the 2017 founding of Nova Property Investment, a firm that specialises in repurposing existing properties for use as rental residential units, as well as for other applications. Nova went on in 2018 to establish joint ventures with GIC and InfraRed NF for multi-family projects in China.

Under Zhang’s direction, Warburg Pincus has also been a partner in Hong Kong-based Weave Living, which acquired a new asset in the Mid-Levels earlier this year, and in Mofang Apartments, a Shanghai-based rental residential management platform.

Golden Union is a 25-year-old developer that in recent years has helped lead urban regeneration projects in Shanghai and Beijing. Yu has spearheaded the company’s successful efforts in acquiring and repositioning industrial assets in core districts of China’s first-tier cities for use as multi-family residential, neighbourhood retail and creative office. In Shanghai, the company owns the Kempinski service apartment project on Feng Yang Road in Jing An district.

Greater China, Japan and More

Just a few days after the spotlight interview with Warburg Pincus and Golden Union, MTD TV’s Asia Multi-Family Forum will focus on Greater China for a panel on Wednesday 12 May. That show will feature Greystar’s managing director for China investment, Charles Ma, Weave Living founder and CEO Sachin Doshi, and a senior director from JLL.

Japan will be the focus of a panel discussion on Tuesday 18 May, with that session to feature Greystar’s managing director for Asia Pacific, Akira Kosugi, JLL’s CEO of Asia Pacific capital markets, Stuart Crow, and Rushabh Desai, CEO for Asia Pacific at Allianz Real Estate.

On Tuesday 25 May, the Multi-Family Forum will conclude with a panel on emerging rental residential classes in Asia Pacific.

In that session, Jyoti Ramchandani, a managing director at SC Capital overseeing the private equity firm’s Score+ strategy, will join Sung Lee, an executive vice president with the research, valuation and advisory practice at Altus Group, along with two other speakers, to explore opportunities in high-yielding market segments including student housing, co-living and senior living.