Knight Frank Appoints Virginia Huang as Managing Director of North and East China

Knight Frank continues to rejig its Greater China leadership with the appointment of Virginia Huang as managing director of North and East China.

Based in Shanghai, Huang will oversee the firm’s operations in Beijing and Shanghai, with her role effective from 22 October.

Huang will report to Hong Kong-based Craig Shute, Knight Frank’s Greater China CEO who was promoted just two weeks ago to CEO of Asia Pacific, with Shute set to begin his new role on 1 April 2025. Shute is succeeding Kevin Coppel, who will retire from the London-based consultancy in March 2025.

“I am honoured to lead the North China and East China teams and look forward to working closely with our talented professionals at Knight Frank,” Huang said in a release on Tuesday. “By leveraging our expertise and local insights to navigate the changing landscape, embracing sustainability, and capitalising on emerging trends, I am confident that we will be strongly positioned for sustained success.”

27-Year Veteran

Huang joins Knight Frank with over 27 years of experience in commercial real estate, spanning office leasing, real estate fund management, and sustainable operations.

“We are delighted to welcome Virginia to Knight Frank,” said Shute. “Her extensive experience, entrepreneurial spirit, and proven leadership in the commercial real estate sector make her an excellent fit for this role. Virginia’s appointment heralds an exciting new chapter for our North and East China operations.”

Prior to joining Knight Frank, Huang worked as a freelance consultant since January, providing strategic advice on business transformation in urban development and commercial real estate. Before that, Huang worked as head of sustainable urban renewal at Keppel Land China from 2022 through 2023.

Huang’s experience also includes having served as head of Greater China advisory and transactions at CBRE during her more than 23 years with the company from 2008 to 2020, as well as a stint as vice president of Beijing Intelligence Building Technologies, an AI-enabled property technology startup from 2020 to 2022.

Huang’s appointment will see her replacing Ying Shin Lee, who has departed Knight Frank after having served as managing director of Shanghai as well as head of China industrial for five years, according to her LinkedIn profile.

“As we look forward to harnessing the opportunities that lie ahead, we also express our heartfelt appreciation to Ying Shin Lee, managing director of Shanghai, for her invaluable contributions over the past five years,” said Shute.

Greater China Appointments

Huang’s hiring is the latest in a series of senior appointments within Knight Frank’s Greater China team this year.

Earlier this month, Knight Frank named Travis Huggins as chief operating officer for Greater China. Reporting to Shute, Hong Kong-based Huggins oversees the finance, human resources, information technology and office administration teams for the region while joining the company’s Greater China executive board.

In July, the consultancy appointed Clement Lau as managing director of professional services for Greater China, succeeding 27-year company veteran Alnwick Chan, who is retiring from the role in March 2025. Lau joined Knight Frank on 14 October after a 24-year spell at Hongkong Land, where he served as director and head of development and valuations for the Jardine Matheson-controlled builder.

That same month, Knight Frank promoted Cyrus Fong to executive director and head of valuations and advisory for Greater China after more than eight years as a senior director with the valuation and advisory team, with Fong’s new role adding mainland China responsibilities to his existing Hong Kong remit.

In April, Martin Wong was promoted to senior director at Knight Frank’s Greater China business, where he continues to serve as head of research and consultancy for the region.