Colliers, CBRE Add to Capital Markets Teams in Singapore

Two of the major property consultancies ramped up their investment advisory services to clients in Singapore this week as both Colliers International and CBRE introduced new faces on their capital markets teams.

Colliers brought on board 12-year industry veteran Jerome Wright to serve as Director of its Capital Markets and Investment Services team in the southeast Asian financial hub. Wright will report directly to Managing Director for Singapore Tang Wei Leng, with a matrix report to Capital Markets and Investment Services regional chief Terence Tang

“Jerome is a key addition to our local Capital Markets and Investment Services team,” said Tang. “He will lead a dedicated team of investment professionals responsible for providing advisory and brokerage services to clients, focusing on investment-grade properties in Singapore.”

This is Wright’s second stint with Colliiers after the University of Liverpool graduate served just over a year with the firm while still living in the UK. For the past decade Wright has been with JLL, serving most recently as a Director with the commercial leasing team in Singapore.

CBRE Shifts China Outbound Head to SG Role

Rival brokerage CBRE was also busy adding to it services to buyers of big buildings in Singapore this week with the firm introducing Yvonne Siew as head of the Capital Advisors division of its Capital Markets team in the city. Siew joined CBRE in Shanghai during August 2015 to serve as Executive Director for International Capital in China China, where she was tasked with facilitating cross-border deals by mainland investors.

Siew previously served more than ten years with Citi Private Bank where she had headed the real estate team for Asia. The Capital Advisors team in Singapore had been short-handed since its former Asia head, Nick Crockett returned to Melbourne late last year.

Singapore has seen an uptick in acquisitions of commercial properties in the last year with several projects in the city’s key business hubs changing hands. Just this week mainland developer Fullshare Holdings agreed to buy GSH Plaza in Raffles Place for S$725 million, and BlackRock sold off Asia Square I last year to the Qatari Investment Authority for $2.45 billion.

New Hires in Workplace Strategy and FM

At the same time that Colliers announced Wright’s new role, the company also introduced Samarth Kasturi as its new Associate Director for Workplace Strategy, as part of the company’s office services division.

Kasturi, who will report to office services head Duncan White, has more than six years of corporate real estate experience focusing on strategic consulting, workplace strategy development, implementation and management, according to a statement by the company. The major property consultancies have been adding workplace strategy teams in more locations across Asia as occupiers look for advice on how to adapt their offices to changing work patterns and search for ways to maximise use of prime space.

CBRE also made a further addition to its Singapore team recently, announcing former Colliers Associate Director Mark Yeo as its new Director of Business Operations and Facilities Management for Singapore and Southeast Asia. Yeo has more than 12 years of experience in the industry, including more than nine years at Colliers.