China’s challenging real estate markets continue to generate churn this week, with one of the country’s top data centre operators announcing a change in chief executives, and a Shenzhen-based developer continuing to name new directors at some of its largest subsidiaries. Also, Brookfield continues to add to its data centre team in the region and there are more moves in Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai.
Chinese data centre operator VNET Group announced on 15 September that Samuel Yuan-Ching Shen has resigned from his positions as chief executive and executive chairman of the group’s retail IDC business group for personal reasons. Shen will remain with the company as a senior advisor while the company’s president, Jeff Dong has been appointed as chief executive. The change in leadership was announced shortly after VNET founder and chairman Josh Sheng Cheng had launched a buyout offer for the Blackstone and GIC-backed data centre operator.
Kaisa Prosperity Holdings, the property management unit of Shenzhen’s Kaisa Group announced to the Hong Kong exchange on 16 September that Guo Li has resigned from her role as an executive director with the company with effect that same day. On the same day that Li departed, Mu Zhaohui, 47, was named as an executive director and chief executive of the company. An 11-year veteran of Kaisa Group, Mu is the second new member named to Kaisa Prosperity’s board in less than a month after the firm appointed Zhao Jianhua, a former police officer, as an executive director on 22 August. Nie Qiang was named an executive director on 17 June.
Brookfield’s DCI Data Centers is continuing to add to its team in Singapore with the company announcing on 16 September that it has hired Jae Woo Choi as deputy chief technology officer. Choi, who joins the company after more than four years with Amazon Web Services, is expected to help accelerate DCI’s growth across South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia according to the company announcement.
Tony Kwok has joined Arrow Capital Partners in Shanghai as director of business development with the real estate developer and fund manager. Before joining Arrow this month, Kwok spent more than four years with developer Unified Industrial as an associate director for portfolio leasing and business development. The graduate of the WSU Carson College of Business also has previous experience with Colliers in Shanghai.
Samuele Martelli has signed up with international design firm Benoy as a senior associate director based in Singapore. Martelli joins the UK-based firm after more than three years with CapitaLand in the Lion City, where he had served as a vice president for product development and design. The graduate of Italy’s Università degli Studi di Firenze also has previous experience with design firms Oobiq and Hersch Bedner Associates.
Colliers announced this month that it has hired Henry Lam as an executive director with its capital markets and investment services team in Hong Kong. The veteran broker joins the property consultancy from rival Knight Frank where he had served as an executive director with the Greater China team since 2009 brokering commercial, residential and hotel transactions, among other deals. Also this month, Colliers said that it has hired Harry Tsui as a senior director with the same division.
Shirley Teo has shifted to Soilbuild Group in Singapore where she now serves as head of marketing and leasing for the industrial real estate specialist. The National University of Singapore graduate found her new desk at Soilbuild this month after more than 11 years with CapitaLand and Ascendas-Singbridge, where she had served most recently as senior manager for leasing, specialising in customer acquisition and management, according to her LinkedIn profile. Teo also has previous experience with JTC Corporation and Ascendas Fund Management.
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.
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