Asia Real Estate People in the News 2021-07-19

The revival of the mainland China market leads this week’s collection of people moves around Asia, as JLL adds a pair of top level executives for its hotels and capital markets divisions. We also have a set of Singapore hires with new additions at Colliers, Knight Frank, Cushman & Wakefield and Bridge Data Centres.

JLL announced this past week that it has expanded its capabilities in the hospitality sector by hiring the former chief executive of a mainland hotel developer to serve as managing director and head of hotels and hospitality for JLL Greater China. Zhou Tao has joined the property consultancy after serving until recently as CEO of Luneng Group Hotel Management, the hospitality division of state-run developer Luneng Real Estate. Zhou also has previous experience with Huatian International Hotel Management, Country Garden Hotel Group and Morgan Stanley Capital.

In another senior-level mainland hire, JLL has brought on board former Mapletree Investments and Creditease Asset Management executive Benny Chin to serve as executive director of corporate finance for its China capital markets team, the company said in a release. In his new role, Chin will focus on executing corporate finance transactions and enhancing JLL’s capability in equity placement, debt financing and fund advisory. After spending nearly a decade with Mapletree in China, Chin had spent the past two years with Creditease in Singapore. The National University of Singapore graduate also has previous experience with GE Capital and Temasek Holdings.

Knight Frank is ramping up its services to multinational occupiers in the region as the property consultancy announced last week that it has appointed Dan Whitmore as head of corporate real estate for Asia Pacific. Formerly head of integrated portfolio management and client solutions with Cushman & Wakefield’s APAC global occupier services team, Whitmore joined Knight Frank this month in Singapore to develop the UK-based firm’s integrated service delivery for multinationals in the region.

The data centre business continues to provide opportunities for advancement as Bridge Data Centres this month brought on board Boby Jacob Kurien as senior director for Asia Pacific sales based in Singapore, according to a LinkedIn update. The division of Bain-backed Chindata hired Kurien away from Keppel Data Centre Holdings, where he had spent more than seven years, including working the last 18 months as senior manager for sales and key accounts.

Colliers International has added another executive to its professional services division, with Anson Lim joining the property consultancy this month as a senior director of valuation and advisory based in Singapore. Lim joins Colliers after more than three years with Kerry Properties affiliate Allgreen Properties, where he had served as senior general manager for residential marketing and sales. Earlier this month the Toronto-based firm had introduced former JLL stalwart Dorothy Chow as an executive director with its valuations team in Hong Kong, and during June had brought back valuations director Juvena Lim in Singapore.

Anne Tng has joined Cushman & Wakefield in Singapore as a director with the firm’s investor services team for Asia Pacific, according to a LinkedIn update. In her new role Tng will facilitate and support cross-border capital within the Asia Pacific region while also working with Asian investors targetting other markets. Prior to taking on her new role with C&W, Tng had served as a director with the capital markets team with Colliers in Singapore and also has previous experience with CBRE in the city.

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.