In this week’s edition of People in the News, the former chairman of Evergrande Life has been appointed as a company director, only six months after his resignation.
In other moves around the region, investment management firm PIMCO has brought on board the former head of Wellington Management’s Southeast Asia global relationship group, while JLL’s former head of research in Hong Kong has taken on a new challenge as a partner at a management consulting firm.
There were also fresh appointments, resignations, and promotions at China Vanke, Seazen, Cushman & Wakefield, Atkins, and CP Commercial Development Group.
Zhu Jialin has been appointed as a director of Evergrande Life, six months after resigning as chairman due to personal reasons, according to a company announcement. The former Evergrande Life chairman is re-joining the insurance division of China’s largest developer following approval by the Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission on 20 March. Jialin had resigned as chairman of the life insurer in September 2019 and left the board within days of the former CFO of one of the company’s major creditors being summoned to court after a borrower had failed to make payment on a bond purchased by Evergrande Life. Prior to joining Evergrande Life in June 2018, Jialin had served as vice president of China CITIC Bank Corporation from 2014 to 2018.
Theresa Tan has been appointed as head of South Asia client management and head of the Singapore office for PIMCO, according to an announcement. Tan joins the investment management firm, which was acquired by European insurer Allianz in 2000, from Boston-based investment firm Wellington Management, where she had served as head of the Southeast Asia global relationship group from 2008 to 2020 while based in Singapore. Prior to her time at Wellington, the National University of Singapore graduate had served as an executive director for UBS Global Asset Management from 2006 to 2008.
Deli Chen has stepped down from his position as mainland developer Seazen Holding’s co-president, due to personal reasons, according to a stock exchange announcement. The Shanghai-listed developer said in its bourse filing that the change is effective from 20 March, which was the date the board of directors received his notice of resignation. Despite stepping down as co-president, Chen continues to serve as a director of the company.
Huihua Han has been appointed by China Vanke as an executive vice president and finance principal, according to a stock exchange announcement. Han joined Vanke in 2008, and had previously served as the Hong Kong-listed developer’s central partner of financial management, following a period as vice general manager of the finance department. The company announced at the same time that Wenjin Wang will no longer act as finance principal, while Xu Zhang will cease to hold his position as chief operating officer, although both would remain executive directors.
Denis Ma joined London and Hong Kong-based management consulting firm Generations as a partner last November, after parting ways with JLL in October, according to his LinkedIn profile. Ma had served as the property consultancy firm’s head of research for Hong Kong from 2014 to 2019. Prior to that, the graduate of Melbourne’s RMIT University had served as a director in JLL’s Hong Kong research team.
Laura Pell
has been promoted to portfolio manager at Cushman & Wakefield in Hong Kong, stepping up after serving as a business space investment officer from January 2019 to January 2020. Prior to that, the graduate of Kingston University had served as a hospitality valuation officer for the property consultancy for eight months, following just over a year and a half as a transaction management office from 2016 to 2018.
Melody Wang has been hired as a deputy general manager in Shanghai by CP Commercial Development Group. Wang joins CP Group’s commercial real estate arm in China after parting ways with WeWork, where she had served in various roles for three years in Shanghai, most recently as a new initiatives programme manager. Prior to that, the Tongji University graduate had served as a marketing and business development manager for Shanghai-based Space Global Real Estate from 2016 to 2017 and as a corporate communications officer for Soundwill Holdings in Hong Kong between 2012 and 2015.
Bert Linssen has been promoted to senior landscape designer at Atkins in Hong Kong, stepping up after four years as a landscape designer for the UK-based design firm. Prior to joining Atkins in 2016, Linssen served as a landscape designer in Shanghai for architectural practice Mudi Group from 2014 to 2015. The graduate of the Netherlands’ Hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein had previously served as a landscape designer at architectural practice Bureau Verbeek and NITA Design Group.
If you know of other Asia real estate professionals changing their jobs, getting promoted or just doing something exciting, please contact us here at Mingtiandi.
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