Asia Real Estate People in the News 2021-07-26

A senior-level promotion at developer Hines’s Greater China operation leads Mingtiandi’s roundup of personnel moves this week, with Shenzhen-based Kaisa Group adding more than the usual level of drama by appointing a 22-year-old daughter of group chairman Kwok Ying Shing to the board of one of the group’s rapidly growing list of Hong Kong-listed entities.

WeWork also works its way back into the news this week with a promotion for its APAC boss and there are also fresh promotions and hirings at CBRE, Knight Frank and Equinix.

Hines has promoted Claire Cormier Thielke to country head for its Greater China operation, according to a LinkedIn update. The role runs in parallel to Cormier Thielke’s position as managing director with the developer’s Asia Pacific business. A former US track and field athlete, Cormier Thielke also serves as an independent board director for US property website Zillow and is an adjunct faculty member at her alma mater, Stanford University.

Kaisa Group has added another member of the family to the leadership of its fast-growing empire, with Kwok Ho Lai being appointed as an executive director of Hong Kong-listed Kaisa Health Group Holdings this past week. Now 22, Kwok Ho Lai will be working on the board of the dental implant manufacturer side by side with her father Kwok Ying Shing, who heads developer Kaisa Group and is also an executive director of the group’s health unit. In February this year, Ho Lai’s 27-year-old older sister, Kwok Hiu Ting was the face of the Kwok family’s purchase of Sing Tao News Corporation. Older brother Kwok Hiu Kwan has starred in the family’s battle to take over Hong Kong investment management firm Convoy Global Holdings, and another Kwok daughter, 23-year-old Kwok Hiu Yan has a seat on the board of Hong Kong-listed Kaisa Capital Investment Holdings Limited, which recently changed its name from Mighty Empire Group Ltd.

WeWork has promoted Samit Chopra to president and chief operating officer for EMEA and Pacific, according to a company announcement this past week. Chopra takes on the expanded territory within WeWork’s international division just over one year after joining the company as managing director for Pacific. After losing $3.2 billion last year, WeWork is attempting to go public this year through a US SPAC.

US data centre operator Equinix has announced Sophie Ben Sadia as vice president of channel sales for Asia Pacific, as the NASDAQ-listed firm continues to power up its business in the region. Ben Sadia joins Equinix from Schneider Electric where she spent over four years, including serving most recently as vice president for channels and alliances, as well as edge computing leader. The Sorbonne graduate also has experience with Alcatel-Lucent.

CBRE has upgraded Admen Law to senior director and head of project management advisory services at its Hong Kong office, according to an announcement by the company this past week. Now promoted from project director, Law has over 25 years of experience in the real estate industry, and has spent the past eight years with CBRE. In his new role, Law is expected to provide commercial interior designs, office refurbishment and commercial site redevelopment services on behalf of clients.

Former JD and Cushman & Wakefield executive Khriztopher Phay has established Ambrosia Capital Holdings in Singapore to venture into food technology and logistics. Phay now serves as chief executive of the startup after spending around one year at JD Property – the logistics division of mainland e-commerce giant JD.com. Phay had previously spent around a half year at Cushman & Wakefield in Singapore and also had completed more than three years with China Fortune Land Development International.

Michelle Man has joined Knight Frank in Hong Kong as an associate director with the company’s valuations and advisory division. Man picked up her Knight Frank cards this month after around six years with CBRE in the city, where she had also served as an associate director in the valuations department. The graduate of Hong Kong Polytechnic University also has previous experience with Cushman & Wakefield.

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.