Asia Real Estate People in the News 2020-06-08

In this week’s edition of People in the News, Shanghai-based Zhongliang Holdings Group promotes a pair of executives to fill the shoes of its departing CEO, while WeWork’s other co-founder departs the struggling commercial workspace company at the same time that the co-working giant also announces new leadership for the Pacific region.

In another significant move in China, Guangxi residential developer Zhangtai Group has brought in a former top executive from a Sichuan-based rival to serve as its chairman.

The week also saw JLL and Colliers International hire away leaders from CBRE, while Toronto-based asset management firm Nuvé Partners added a former Knight Frank executive to its team.

Zhongliang Holdings Group has selected co-president Li Heili, together with executive director Chen Hongliang as co-executive presidents to jointly take up the top leadership role at the Shanghai-based developer. The duo will step up to fill the role being voided by outgoing CEO Huang Chunlei. Huang resigned as CEO for “personal reasons” at the company’s annual shareholders meeting on June 4, according to a company statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange. Chen will oversee the group’s HR, internal finances and legal matters while Li will focus on investment, product development and business operations.

Miguel McKelvey, co-founder of commercial workspace giant WeWork, has resigned as the company’s chief culture officer effective at the end of the month, according to a CNBC report. In an email to WeWork staff, McKelvey did not disclose a reason for leaving or whether he’d be taking a new role elsewhere. McKelvey founded WeWork with Adam Neumann in 2010 and was the sole remaining founder at the company and one of the few remaining top executives after SoftBank took control last year. The company has not announced a replacement for McKelvey. Read more>>

WeWork has named Samit Chopra as managing director for the company’s Pacific operations, a newly created role which gives him top authority for Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea and Australia. His appointment was effective June 1. Chopra was most recently the executive vice-president of enterprise and sales at IWG and was hired to replace departing WeWork managing director Turochas Fuad, who left the company to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors.

Guangxi residential developer Zhangtai Group has welcomed Zhang Qiaolong, former president of Blu-ray Group, as its chairman and president. Zhangtai operates in 11 counties and 11 cities across Guangxi but is hoping to expand outside the region under Zhang’s leadership, according to a report in mainland real estate website Guandian. Zhang stepped down as Blu-ray’s president at the end of 2019 but stayed on as a vice chairman of the company’s board of directors through 15 April. His Zhangtai hiring was announced on 31 May.

Angela So has joined Colliers International as the Toronto-based real estate giant’s director of advisory and business development, she announced on her LinkedIn page. So made the move from CBRE where she had worked for nearly 11 years, most recently as the company’s director of consulting in the Asia Pacific region. So announced her new role on June 4 after starting with the company this month.

Toronto-based asset management firm Nuvé Partners has hired former Knight Frank landlord project services director and marketing head Eva Lee away from her post in Shanghai. Lee will serve as a partner with Nuvé after three years in her former role with the UK-based property consultancy. Prior to joining Knight Frank, the University of British Columbia graduate also led marketing and communications for Colliers International in Shanghai from April 2014 to April 2017.

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.