JLL HK Brings in C&W’s Kent Fong for Capital Markets Team, Promotes Dickinson

JLL announced this week that it has brought on board Kent Fong, former co-head of Investment at Cushman & Wakefield in Hong Kong to be the new leader of its investment brokerage division in the city.

The move comes the same week that competitor Colliers International revealed its own new team of former C&W staff, adding seven new members to its valuation and advisory department for Greater China.

Soon after unveiling Fong’s appointment, JLL also announced a fresh set of top-level promotions in its leasing division in the city.

Agency Steps Up Investment Brokerage Team as Mainland Acquisitions Rise

Fong joins JLL as a Regional Director for Capital Markets in Hong Kong, where JLL says his team will focus on high level investment transactions. Assisting Fong in this mission will be a crew of other former Cushman investment brokers who also have shifted over to JLL.

“I am delighted that Kent and his team have joined us and are looking forward to leveraging his expertise to continue to secure the best investment opportunities for our clients,” commented JLL Hong Kong Managing Director Joseph Tsang in a statement.

Fong has over 21 years’ experience in the real estate industry including more than six years at Cushman & Wakefield, where he joined in 2009 to set up and lead the company’s investment services department in the city.

During 2015 Hong Kong’s real estate industry saw an 18 percent surge in investment transactions, with blockbuster deals such as Evergrande’s $1.6 billion acquisition of the Mass Mutual Tower in Wanchai, and China Life’s purchase of a Kowloon project from developer Wheelock & Co for $755 million.

“We see great opportunities in the capital markets in 2016, due to a large amount of mainland Chinese capital sitting on the sidelines waiting to be deployed. I am confident the expansion in our Capital Markets team will strengthen the abilities for the years ahead,” Tsang said.

Dickinson Expands Leadership Role

Besides introducing Fong and his fellow team members on Monday, JLL also announced promotions for Ben Dickinson and two other members of his leasing leadership team in Hong Kong.

Dickinson, who formerly served has Head of Hong Kong Markets for JLL advising clients on office leasing transactions, as of January 1^st has been promoted to Head of Agency Leasing, where he will take charge of leasing deals across all property sectors.

Taking over Dickinson’s office-centric duties on the Markets team is Alex Barnes, a veteran of the division who has been with JLL in Hong Kong since 2005. Also shifting within the office leasing team is Paul Yien, who has been promoted to Head of Landlord Representation.