In this week’s edition of People in the News, the chief executive officer of a casino operator’s China business has announced his retirement, while a property consultancy has named a former WeWork executive as its managing director in Beijing.
Meanwhile in the digital universe, a Mumbai-based data centre developer has brought on board a Blackstone senior advisor to boost its strategic planning.
There were also fresh moves at Jingrui Holdings, WeWork, Gleeds, and Wyndham Hotels and Resorts.
Grant Bowie
is retiring as CEO of MGM China Holdings on 31 May, according to a stock exchange filing. The Macau gaming operator said Bowie had decided to step down to pursue his personal retirement plants. Bowie will stay on as an executive director for a handover period, after which he will act as an advisor up to the end of 2022. Before Bowie joined the gaming operator’s concession-holding entity MGM Grand Paradise SA in 2008 as president, he had served as president and general manager of Wynn Resorts (Macau) from 2003 to 2007.
Katherine Lu
has been appointed as managing director of Knight Frank in Beijing, after parting ways with WeWork. Lu joins the property consultancy after just under a year as the US co-working firm’s head of partnership growth for Greater China. Prior to that, the Capital University of Economics and Business graduate had served as Director of Transaction Management at CBRE in Beijing from 2013 to 2019, following three years with Cushman & Wakefield from 2010 to 2012.
Eleven Yang
has been hired as chief investment officer at Hong Kong-listed mainland developer Jingrui Holdings in Shanghai, after leaving Collab – a Shanghai-based firm founded by former Nova Property Investment chief Wang Qian. Yang had served as a vice president of business development for Collab from January 2019 to March 2020, following almost three years as a manager at CBRE from 2015 to 2018. Prior to that, the Shanghai International Studies University graduate had served as an assistant manager at JLL.
Jarrett Appleby
has been hired by data centre developer Yotta Infrastructure as strategic advisor for international markets, according to a press release. Appleby will be taking on this role in addition to serving as CEO of digital infrastructure advisory Appleby Strategy Group, as well as serving on the board of US-based data centre company SunGard Availability Services. Appleby has also served as a strategic advisor to Blackstone Group since June 2018 and is a board member of IT services company Unitas Global. Prior to starting Appleby Strategy, the Lehigh University graduate had served as COO for Digital Realty from 2015 to 2017.
Nancy Yip
has been hired by WeWork as territory general Manager for Hong Kong and Taiwan, after leaving IWG. Yip has joined the US co-working firm after serving as the London-listed flexible office provider’s Hong Kong country manager for two years. Prior to that, the Chinese University of Hong Kong graduate had served as a sales director in the enterprise services team at Microsoft in Hong Kong from 2016 to 2018, following six months as a services sales director for computer software provider SAP in 2016.
Joon Aun Ooi
has been promoted to head of Asia Pacific at Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, effective 1 June, according to a press statement. Ooi is stepping up after two years as the hotel group’s head of Southeast Asia and Pacific Rim from 2018 to 2020, and almost five years as the group’s vice president of openings and operations in Asia Pacific from 2013 to 2018. Prior to joining Wyndham, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate had served as Hilton Worldwide’s vice president of strategy and hotel openings in Asia Pacific from 2009 to 2013.
Mark Chan
has joined UK-based Gleeds as a deputy project manager, after parting ways with Link REIT. Chan had served as a project manager in the project and planning division of the Hong Kong real estate investment trust for three and a half years, following just over a year as a project development manager for Hong Kong-based boutique hotel group Wolok Development from 2015 to 2016. Prior to that, the City University of Hong Kong graduate had served as a project manager in the property development division of the Salvation Army from 2014 to 2015.
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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