A senior Singapore investment executive leads this week’s round of personnel moves from around the region with a potential shift from the financial to the political realms. Also making the list, a Shenzhen developer gives his son an upgrade and a mainland investment firm picks a new boss for its real estate division.
Former GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song is considering running for president of Singapore, according to news reports citing comments by the senior executive. Currently chairman of Avanda Investment Management, Ng spent 27 years with Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund and is now deliberating whether he should stand for the largely ceremonial post after incumbent resident Halimah Yacob said he will not stand for re-election.
Kaisa Prosperity Holdings notified the Hong Kong stock exchange on 12 July that Kwok Hiu Kwan, son of Kaisa Group chairman Kwok Ying-shing, has been appointed as an executive director of the company with effective from that day. Now 31, Kwok, is already an executive director of Kaisa Group and was named co-president of the Shenzhen-based developer in 2020. Kwok takes on the executive director role with the property management division of Kaisa Group as Nie Qiang left the board on 12 July.
SRE Group Ltd said on 11 July that Qin Guohui, 46, has been appointed as executive director and chairman of the board of the real estate investment unit of China Minsheng Investment with effect from that day. Qin, who also takes on the roles of chairman of the nomination committee and of the investment committee of the company, as well as serving as process agent and authorised representative of the Hong Kong-listed entity, takes over the positions from Hong Zhihua, who had served as chairman since October 2020. Qin has been serving as secretary of the board and vice president of China Minsheng Investment since June 2022.
Giovanni Cossu joined CapitaLand Development this month as head of sustainability with the private division of Singapore’s CapitaLand Group. Cossu is tasked with building “green competency across the life cycle of building and precinct projects” and with championing the company’s ESG efforts, according to a statement on LinkedIn. He joins the developer from the National University of Singapore, where he had served more than eight years, including working most recently as an associate director of sustainability services.
Damien Wu has been promoted to managing director of corporate development with Chinachem Group in Hong Kong, according to a LinkedIn update. Wu takes his step up to MD after just over two years as director of business transformation and innovation with the privately held company, which he joined in 2019. Before coming on board with Chinachem, Wu had served as chief investment officer with CCH Investments in Hong Kong.
Savills Singapore announced on 11 July that it has appointed Adrian Lim as head of the company’s International Residential Services (IRS) team to cater to affluent investors targetting home purchases in the Southeast Asian financial hub. Lim joins Savills from One Global Property Services in Singapore, where he had served as head of international sales since 2018. The Nanyang Technological University graduate also has experience with Colliers and AIA.
Rental accommodation operator Habyt said on 11 July that it has appointed Jonathan Wong as its chief executive officer for Asia Pacific, replacing Giselle Makarachvili, who left the company in recent days when it was still known as co-living operator Hmlet. Wong had worked until recently as chief operating officer and regional head of strategy and expansion for CloudKitchens, and also has prior experience with Uber and Deutsche Bank.
Jason Chan has been promoted to head of real assets business for Asia, excluding China, at MSCI in Singapore, according to a LinkedIn update. Chan moves up after just over a year and a half as vice president for real estate client coverage with the market data provider, where he has now worked since 2016. The National University of Singapore graduate also has experience with M&C REIT Management and with Ogilvy Public Relations in Singapore.
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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