In this week’s edition of People in the News, workspace sharing giant WeWork expands the role of a company director in Shanghai, while Barings snaps up a longtime Challenger Real Estate hand to head its Asia Pacific real estate operations in Sydney.
The week also saw some significant moves in real estate brokerage firms, with Colliers International naming a new chief marketing officer, and JLL India appointing a new senior director of markets.
And back in Shanghai, creative office developer Anken Group has named a new director of operations and management.
John Ratcliffe has been named Head of Asia Pacific Real Estate for investment manager Barings. In this newly created position, Ratcliffe will be based in Sydney, working with the senior management team to develop the business’ pan-Asian and Australian real estate platform covering both equity and debt. An MBA from Bond University, Ratcliffe joins Barings from Challenger Financial Services Group, where he spent 12 years as Executive Director for Real Estate Transactions and Capital Raising. Previously, he worked in asset management at Australian high-end residential and mixed-use developer, Niecon Developments.
Kelly Huo, a Director of Community with WeWork in Shanghai since April 2019, has been named as the company’s Director of Member Experience in the city. A BBA recipient from the Auckland University of Technology, Huo has been with WeWork in Shanghai since the shared office provider set up in the city just over four years ago. Before that, she spent eight months as a Senior Leasing Manager for SOHO China and seven years with Apollo Business Center, also in Shanghai.
Colliers International has promoted Cassius Taylor-Smith to Chief Marketing Officer for its EMEA operations, based in London, effective July 1. Currently in Singapore, Taylor-Smith joined Colliers in Hong Kong during 2016 as Executive Director & Head of Marketing & Communications for Asia, working on the company’s strategic marketing and communications agenda for 14 national markets. Prior to this, he was Managing Director at Giant Communications in Hong Kong for six years. Taylor-Smith’s new role takes him back to London after a decade in Asia.
Kunal Jaiswal has been named Senior Director of Markets at JLL in India this month, after spending more than a year leading channel sales at Gurgaon-based living and workspace provider OYO. Prior to that, Jaiswal spent four years at Colliers International’s office services department and two and a half years doing transactions management at Knight Frank India, also based in Gurgaon in India’s National Capital Region. The Delhi University graduate, who started his career doing transactions management for CBRE in New Delhi, has also worked in hospitality and healthcare.
Jane Xu was named the new director of operations and management at creative office specialist Anken, effective June 8. Xu’s promotion comes after six months with the Shanghai-based real estate developer. Prior to Anken, she spent a year as a relationship manager at AustCham in Shanghai and two years leading legal and people services at Melbourne-based property developer Deague Group. Xu replaces Shane Gregory who announced this month that he has left Anken to return home to Australia.
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.
Director of Member Experience? Sounds intriguing, do you have a detailed job description?