Asia Real Estate People in the News 2019-07-08

In this week’s edition of Mingtiandi’s People in the News, CapitaLand unveils two leadership appointments following the Singapore-based property giant’s $8 billion merger with Ascendas-Singbridge, clarifying who’s driving which divisions of a company which now manages $90 billion of assets.

In other fresh moves across the region, the ULI welcomes a new chairperson in Singapore, while City Developments Limited brings in a new assistant vice president of business development and investments, and Colliers International appoints an executive director of Capital Markets and Investment Services in Hong Kong.

Jonathan Yap Neng Tong has been appointed as president of CapitaLand Financial following CapitaLand’s acquisition of Ascendas-Singbridge, according to a bourse filing. In his new role, he will oversee CapitaLand Group’s REITs and business trusts, private and third-party funds, and the group’s India business. Yap had formerly served as Ascendas-Singbridge’s group chief operating officer and group chief financial officer since 2017. Prior to this, the National University of Singapore graduate had held several senior positions at Ascendas-Singbridge since joining the developer in 2004, including chief investment officer, head of real estate funds, and assistant chief executive officer.

Sally Tan has been appointed as head of customer acquisition and management at CapitaLand, following the Singapore-based property group’s merger with Ascendas-Singbridge, after serving for three years as Ascendas-Singbridge’s deputy chief customer solutions officer. Before joining Ascendas-Singbridge, Tan had worked for Keppel Land International as a deputy general manager for over eleven years. The National University of Singapore graduate is also the co-chair of the property sub-committee at the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore.

Choon-fah Ong, the chief executive officer and head of research and consulting at Edmund Tie and Company, has been appointed chair of Singapore for the Urban Land Institute, replacing Khoo Teng Chye. As chair of the ULI, Ong will focus on addressing land use challenges that require local knowledge to be solved through the Advisory Services Programme as well as promoting responsible use of land in Singapore through a ULI’s Product Council. The National University of Singapore graduate has been with Edmund Tie and Company for over 24 years.

Luke Tan has stepped up to assistant vice president of business development and investments for Singapore-based City Developments Limited, after serving as assistant vice president of investments for CDL China since September 2017. Prior to joining CDL, Tan worked for Fosun Property Holdings as a deputy director from July 2016 until August 2017, as well as being a deputy director at Forte Capital from September 2015 to August 2017. The National University of Singapore graduate was also an investment analyst and investment manager at Lendlease from 2013 until 2015.

Thomas Chak has been hired by Colliers International as Executive Director of Capital Markets and Investment Services in Hong Kong, returning for his second stint with the property services company. In his new role, Chak will focus on leading a team to service funds and institutional clients after having served previously served with Colliers from 2006 to 2010. More recently, Chak worked as chief investment officer for Melbourne-headquartered ASG Properties from June 2016 until June 2019 and the University of Queensland graduate also spent five years with Knight Frank.

Ian Mair has been appointed as managing director of digital innovation for Grosvenor Group, returning to London after five years in Hong Kong as Grosvenor Asia Pacific’s chief operating officer and regional chief financial officer. Prior to this, Mair had served as the interim managing director for Grosvenor Asia in Tokyo from July 2016 until July 2017, having left London where he had been the director of commercial finance for Grosvenor for nearly two and a half years. The University of Dundee graduate spent 12 years with Tesco before joining Grosvenor, ending his tenure with the retail giant in 2012 as a property finance director.

Cherrin CR Loo has been hired by Knight Frank in Hong Kong as a senior director in the international properties team, leaving Savills after an eight-year stint. Loo served as a director in Singapore for the property agent for four years, and prior to that as a director in Hong Kong from 2012 to 2015 and an associate director in Shanghai between 2011 and 2012. Prior to joining Savills, she had worked for JLL’s Singapore office as a manager for almost eleven years.

Thannicha Chowiwatthana has joined Savills in Bangkok as an assistant manager in international sales and marketing, after parting ways with Colliers where she worked in the international property marketing team for just over one year. The graduate of SOAS and the University of Warwick also completed a private wealth management internship at Phatra Securities in 2014 and a marketing internship with Siam Piwat in 2013.

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.