Asia Real Estate People in the News 2019-06-03

In this week’s edition of People in the News, a major Singapore developer and investor names a new group chief executive officer, while a senior vice president is appointed at the sovereign wealth fund. Elsewhere, there are movers and shakers in the world of electric vehicles, office leasing and London lettings, as well as senior appointments at a major property agency in Shanghai and a developer based in Guangdong.

Yip Hoong Mun has made the move up to group chief executive officer of Singapore-listed real estate developer and investor Metro Holdings, having served as deputy group chief executive officer since May 2018 and group chief operating officer from February 2017 through May 2018. Before joining Metro, Yip spent 20 years at CapitaLand, culminating in a three year stint as managing director of CapitaLand Indonesia. Yip also has experience in China as head of CapitaLand’s Ascott serviced apartment division in 2003.

Richard Massey has made the step up to senior vice president at Singapore’s GIC after two and a half years as a vice president for the sovereign wealth fund. Prior to his time at GIC, Massey was a vice president of acquisitions and asset management for Deutsche Bank from 2015 until 2016, and a real estate investment manager for Invesco for two years from 2013. The Property Economics graduate from the University of West Sydney spent over six years with real estate investment group Dexus as a regional investment manager, portfolio manager and investment analyst, following a year with Australian firm Landsbury’s as a valuer.

Kai Johan Jiang has been appointed to the board of directors at China Evergrande Group to support the mainland developer’s business interests in electric vehicles following Evergrande Health’s January acquisition of 51 percent of Jiang’s smart car group National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) for $930 million. Jiang is the founder and chief executive officer of NEVS, which acquired the assets of bankrupt Swedish car manufacturer Saab in 2012. A native of Shandong, Jiang became a Swedish citizen after living in the Scandinavian country for 23 years.

Huang Fengchao has been appointed as chief executive officer and president of A-Living Services, the property management division of Guangdong developer Agile Group Holdings. Huang has been an executive director and co-chair of the board of directors for Agile Living since July 2017. After joining Agile Group Holding in 1999, Huang was made an executive director in 2014 with responsibility for the investment, human resources, legal and auditing departments. He has also served as head of the company’s Hainan and Yunnan regions. Prior to joining the developer, Huang worked for ExxonMobil (China) and France Total (China).

Tom Zhong Xin Cheng has been appointed as a senior manager of office leasing for Shui On Land and will lead the office leasing team on the developer’s Taipingqiao (Xintiandi) Project. Zhong makes the step up after one year as a manager of office leasing with the company. The real estate management graduate of East China Normal University joined Shui On Land as a graduate trainee in 2012 and has moved his way up the ranks in the office leasing department over the past seven years.

Yu-Hao Chen has been hired as a deputy general manager for Beijing Huamao Commercial Management Company, which operates as a subsidiary of central government-controlled China National Arts & Crafts Group. Yu-Hao parts ways with Colliers International where he served as a director and head of office services in Guangzhou from 2015, having worked previously for the property services company in Taipei from 2009 to 2014. The Georgetown University graduate also worked for JLL as an associate director in Chengdu for a year between 2014 and 2015.

Regina Yang has seen her territory expanded at Knight Frank in China as the 14 year company veteran has added Beijing to her area of responsibility as of May. Yang, who first joined the UK-based firm from rival Savills in 2005 is now director and head of research and consultancy in Shanghai and Beijing after earlier looking after only the Shanghai operation. With an MSc in Land Management from the UK’s Reading University, and a degree in Banking from the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Yang also previously served as assistant to the head of the commercial department at Chesterton Petty (now  part of Knight Frank) from 1999 until 2001.

Frank Kwok has opened up Hong Kong-based The QuantumS, a quantity surveying firm that specialises in cost and quantity analysis of construction projects. Supported by a team of five senior professionals with over 20 years’ experience each, Kwok’s new firm aims to provide sustainable solutions for real estate clients. Kwok previously served as an executive director for civil engineering firm Arcadis Asia in Hong Kong, after serving as a director for Langdon and Seah for 26 years prior to the construction firm’s acquisition by Arcadis in 2012.

Nicole Xiong has been appointed head of the China desk in Shanghai for London-based Regent Property, working with the team responsible for letting London properties to clients from China. She leaves Barratt Developments where she served as a marketing manager for the British Developer in Shanghai. The holder of a degree in Tourism and Travel Services Management from Sichuan University also worked as a marketing executive with Savills in Shanghai from 2016 to 2017.

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.