Knight Frank announced a pair of senior appointments to its capital markets team this week with former Colliers International brokers Willis Mak and Alfred Wong joining the company’s Hong Kong office.
The pair of veteran investment advisors were announced by their new employer less than four months after Knight Frank selected their former boss, Antonio Wu, as its new head of capital markets for Greater China in May.
“We are thrilled to have Willis and Alfred joining our growing capital markets team,” said Wu, who Mak and Wong will once again report to. “Their experience, network, and expertise will be valuable to our clients in Hong Kong and around the world as they seek investment opportunities in the post-pandemic economy.”
The investment duo are joining Knight Frank just over a week after property consultancy said that Hong Kong’s property market is showing “Clear signals of bottoming-out with stabilized rents and regained momentum.”
New Territory for Capital Markets Team
Mak joins Knight Frank as executive director and head of private clients for Greater China, while Wong takes on the newly created role of director of capital markets, the agency said in a press release.
Mak had been with Colliers since 1998, where he had served most recently as a senior executive director of capital markets and investment services, and had worked together with Wu since 2000. Wong was also a long-time member of the Colliers investment team, having started with Wu’s team at the agency in 2008.
During his time at Colliers, Mak had served a range of major clients, including the late “Shop King” Tang Shing-Bor and Gaw Capital.
Some noteworthy local deals Mak was involved in were the disposals of 103-107 Tam Kung Road in Kowloon City and the Sing Pao Building on King’s Road in Fortress Hill. Overseas, he concluded the A$315 million ($232.6 million) disposal of 6 O’Connell Street in Sydney.
As Knight Frank’s executive director and head of private clients in Hong Kong, Mak is now responsible for the expansion of the firm’s capital markets businesses in the city and beyond.
Wong joined Colliers Hong Kong as an investment manager and remained at the firm for 14 years, working his way up as director of capital markets and investment services.
With nearly 20 years of real estate experience in Hong Kong and New Zealand, Wong is now responsible for coordinating, advising and representing investors in cross-border investment strategies at Knight Frank.
Following the Leader
Wu, previously the deputy managing director at Colliers Hong Kong, took on the newly created leadership role at Knight Frank in May.
Paul Hart, Knight Frank’s managing director of commercial markets, said the firm has significantly grown its Hong Kong capital markets business over the course of the year.
“With Willis and Alfred’s extensive experience, track record and strong network, they will make excellent additions to our growing team, reinforcing Knight Frank’s market positioning in Greater China,” Hart said.
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