The new year has brought a flood of personnel moves across Asia Pacific’s real estate community, including board level appointments at listed giants in Singapore and mainland China. With the COVID-19 pandemic transforming offices, there are also a pair of top level workplace strategy announcements and much more.
Mainland real estate website operator Fang Holdings announced this past week that it has appointed chief executive Liu Jian as a director of its board, effective from 19 January. Liu, who was named CEO in 2019, takes over a board spot formerly held by Gong Zhizhi. Also taking effect from the same day, the NASDAQ-listed company has named Dong Shihang as its new president, and Cui Peng as acting chief financial officer replacing Wang Ke who has resigned.
Singaporean engineering firm Sembcorp Industries has named former CapitaLand group chief executive Lim Ming Yan as a non-executive and independent director on its board, effective from 18 January. Both Sembcorp and CapitaLand, where Lim was employed for 22 years before his retirement in 2018, are controlled by the Singapore government’s Temasek Holdings. In addition to his new role with Sembcorp, Lim holds directorships at 11 other organisations.
Nihat Can Ercan has been promoted to senior managing director at JLL’s Hotels and Hospitality Group in Singapore, where he continues to serve as head of investment sales for Asia Pacific, according to an update to his LinkedIn profile. Ercan received his latest upgrade just a half of a year after adding the Pacific region to his existing Asia territory, with the University of Surrey graduate now having spent more than 18 years with JLL’s hospitality division.
Savills announced this past week that it has hired Simon Raper as director and head of workplace strategy for Asia Pacific, based in Singapore. Raper joins the property consultancy from design firm Unispace in Sydney, where he had spent more than three years as a principal. In his new role, Raper will be part of Savills’ cross-border tenant advisory team for Asia Pacific, where he will be able to draw upon his previous professional experience in Beijing, Singapore and the UK, in addition to Australia.
In another design-related agency move, Knight Frank announced recently that it has hired Samarth Kasturia to serve as workplace and strategic consulting lead for Asia Pacific, based in its Singapore office. Kasturia joins the property agency as a director, after two years with CBRE in Singapore, where he held an associate director title and was responsible for the company’s Standard Chartered account until November of last year. The trained architect also has previous experience with Colliers International in Singapore.
Geraldine Cheong has joined Surbana Jurong in Singapore as deputy director for group communications and branding at the urban development consulting firm, according to an update to her LinkedIn profile. Cheong stepped aboard with the Temasek-controlled firm this month after more than two and a half years at Cushman & Wakefield in Singapore, where she served as associate director for communications for Singapore and Southeast Asia. The National University of Singapore graduate also has prior experience with CBRE and the Land Transport Authority.
Pham Huong has joined Mapletree in Vietnam as a senior associate director with the Singaporean real estate investment manager. Pham is part of the investment and asset management team at the Temasek-controlled firm, which she joins after less than two years with Hanoi-based developer Sunshine Group. Pham also has previous experience with Hongkong Land and Savills in Hanoi.
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.
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