Anny Zhang Named Head of JLL East China as Eddie Ng Departs

JLL has announced new leadership for East China with the appointment of Anny Zhang as managing director of the region’s business operations.

Zhang, a 15-year veteran of the global property services firm, will succeed Eddie Ng to become the first mainland Chinese and the first woman in the post. In addition to her new role, Zhang will continue in her current capacity as head of office leasing for China, according to a Tuesday press release.

“Since entering the mainland China market in 1994, JLL has pioneered in China’s real estate market with the ample support from our clients, business partners, governments and our employees,” said JLL Greater China CEO KK Fung. “Both Eddie and Anny have participated in this exciting journey and made tremendous contributions to JLL’s fast growth in China over the past two decades.”

Ng, a Hongkonger who got his start at the pre-merger Jones Lang Wootton, has decided to pursue a new career aspiration after 25 years with the firm, JLL said. He previously served as managing director for Chengdu, and then managing director for West China before relocating to Shanghai to take over the East China business in 2016, when former Shanghai chief Anthony Couse was named APAC chief executive.

Also having served a stint as JLL’s head of of capital markets for China, Ng has yet to set a final day for his tenure, although he is expected to remain with the firm through Chinese New Year.

Deep Shanghai Roots

A 2004 graduate of Shanghai’s East China Normal University, Zhang joined JLL in 2007 and helped set up the group’s office in the city’s Pudong district. There, she led JLL’s office leasing business in Shanghai from 2015 before being relocated to the East China headquarters in Puxi in 2018 to take over as head of office leasing for China.

In her current post, Zhang has led JLL’s team of 240 office specialists in signing a total of 4,300 lease agreements over the past three years. During that period, Zhang’s division has leased more than 5 million square metres (53.8 million square feet) in key markets across China, JLL said.

Before joining JLL, Zhang worked as a commercial office leasing agent at DTZ Debenham Tie Leung (now part of Cushman & Wakefield) for three years.