Asia Real Estate People in the News 2021-12-06

Senior level shifts at Savills Investment Management, KKR and Knight Frank lead Mingtiandi’s roundup of personnel moves from around Asia this week, with the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, JLL and Link REIT also announcing promotions and taking on fresh talent.

In the latest in a series of moves fortifying its Singapore-based team, Savills Investment Management announced on 2 December that it has appointed former BNP Paribas Real Estate Asia chief Yo-Hann Tan as managing director for client capital. Tan, who was with BNP Paribas’ property division for eight years, is now reporting to Savills IM’s co-head for global client capital Michael Flynn, and is tasked with further developing the firm’s capital partnerships in Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and other markets.

KKR announced on 3 December that it has promoted Hardik Shah to partner in the private equity fund manager as one of a set of global personnel moves. Shah, who helps lead KKR’s infrastructure business from the company’s office in Mumbai, India, has now been with the New York buyout firm since 2018 and had served first as a director, and later managing director, after joining KKR from Brookfield Asset Management.

Knight Frank on 2 December said that it has promoted Tim Armstrong to global head of occupier strategy and solutions with immediate effect. The 14-year Knight Frank veteran is taking over the top spot in the corporate real estate role from William Beardmore-Gray, who has been promoted to senior partner and group chair effective April next year. While Knight Frank is based in London, Armstrong will lead his team from Singapore.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has appointed Amanda Hyndman as general manager of the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, with the company veteran also taking on the roles of area vice president of operations and group director of quality and rooms, according to an announcement by the division of Jardine Matheson Group. Having first joined the group in 2007, Hyndman most recently served as general manager of the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London.

JLL has promoted Joey Radovan, vice chairman of its Philippine operation, to country head effective 1 January, according to an announcement by the property agency. Radovan, who joined JLL last year from Knight Frank, will be taking over the top spot from Christophe Vicic, a twelve year company veteran who is relocating to Kuala Lumpur to work with Malaysian country head YY Lau in growing the business there.

Eric Chu has joined Link REIT in Hong Kong as an assistant manager for investment with the listed trust’s Asia team, according to a LinkedIn update. Chu joins the manager of Asia’s largest REIT from Wheelock Properties, where he had spent more than two years with the Hong Kong-listed developer as a senior property development surveyor. The graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Madison also has previous experience with Savills and JLL in Hong Kong.

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.