Ravi Chandran
Prominent real estate firms like JLL and Knight Frank have brought in global talents to try and turn key markets during the pandemic
One of the more prominent real estate firms, JLL, has appointed Paul Fisher as the new country head of Vietnam. Based in Ho Chi Minh City, he will succeed Stephen Wyatt after his relocation to the UK. Fisher will lead the firm across its leasing, tenant representation, property asset management, project and development services, consulting and research, valuations and capital markets business lines.
The leadership change is interpreted as the firm’s bid to enhance its business offerings. “Vietnam continues to be one of our key growth markets in Southeast Asia and we are excited to strengthen our leadership team by appointing someone of Paul’s caliber and experience,” says Chris Fossick, CEO, Singapore & Southeast Asia, JLL. “I’m confident that Paul’s addition will help to bring our Vietnam team to greater heights and deliver excellent service for our clients across the region.”
With 17 years of real estate experience, Paul has held key positions in Europe and Asia across leasing, tenant representation and capital markets. He joined JLL in 2016 and in his role as senior director of tenant representation, he has, partnered with renowned multinational corporations and advised on some of the most significant transactions in the Hong Kong market. He has also assumed the role of PropTech lead and sits on the Britcham real estate committee.
“It is very exciting to be taking on this role given the significant opportunity we are seeing in Vietnam’s real estate market, which is increasingly coming into focus for our international clients. I very much look forward to working with our local management team to drive growth and expand our business, whilst continuing to deliver the highest standards of service for our clients” says Fisher.
Before joining JLL, Fisher was head of corporate tenant representation at DTZ in Hong Kong, prior to which he held posts in London and Frankfurt. He graduated with a first-class BSc (Hons) in Property Management and Investment.
Knight Frank which is among the prominent real estate firms globally, ann0unced on October 16 that it was launching a dedicated Transactions Team within Capital Markets covering Asia.
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Led by Neil Brookes, the team is drawn from an existing pool of experts within Knight Frank and will form a core part of the firm’s regional service line, enhancing its cross-border commercial transactions abilities.
The team will specialise in major asset sales, specialist sectors and capital partnering. They will work closely with Knight Frank’s occupier services and commercial agency team – capitalising on their knowledge of occupier sentiment and trends – and its strong residential networks which allows access to over 5,400 ultra-high-net-worth individuals.
Based in key gateway cities, the team is comprised of Danny Zheng (Chinese Mainland), Daniel Ding (Singapore), Emily Relf (Asia Pacific), Jack Choi (South Korea), James Buckley (Malaysia), Paul Hart (Greater China/Hong Kong) and Tushar Rane (India).
Neil Brookes, head of capital markets, Asia Pacific said: “As Covid-19 accelerates capital investment into near neighbours, we see this as the opportune moment to strengthen our cross-border transaction capability, particular around major asset sales. With travel restrictions in place, many investors are focusing on opportunities within the region – having access to a connected group with local expertise enables us to meet each client’s unique investment needs.”
“Our focus is on strengthening Knight Frank’s regional go-to-market strategy, working closely with our brokers around the world to provide our clients with the sharpest capital markets intelligence and broadest access to opportunities,” he added.
Edmund Tie a recognisable name among prominent real estate firms in the region announced on October 7th that Mr Lam Chern Woon has been appointed as its senior director of research and consulting.
Edmund Tie said Mr Lam brings with him 10 years of real estate research, forecasting and strategic advisory experience across multiple property sectors and markets. His expertise spans the commercial, retail, industrial, residential and hospitality sectors across key Asia Pacific markets.
Prior to joining Edmund Tie, Chern Woon led the real estate research and advisory functions at Pacific Star Group and MUFG Bank. His leadership roles will position him to deliver thought-leading research and drive consulting profitability in Edmund Tie. In his previous roles, he has worked on research and strategy, financial modelling, due diligence across direct investments, fund management, asset management, development and financing.
Graduating with a first-class Honours degree in Economics from the National University of Singapore (NUS), Chern Woon began his career with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) as an economist focusing on econometrics and macroeconomic research. He subsequently obtained a Master of Science in Mathematics from NUS and was also awarded with the CFA charter. He has around two decades of research experience across real estate, strategy, investment and economics.
With his diverse experience and training, he is well-placed to provide a multi-disciplinary approach to the analysis of real estate issues.
Mr Lam remarked: “I am delighted to join Edmund Tie and aim to marry my economics, quantitative and real estate experience and skillsets to provide a fresh and holistic perspective for our valued clients.”
Chern Woon has served on the Research Committee of the Asia Pacific Real Estate Association, and has also published papers in real estate and economics journals.
Mr Paul Ho, chief mortgage officer at iCompareLoan, said: “the movement of these global talents within the prominent real estate firms shows that the players are very mindful that you need good leaders to turn the market in their favour in this tough economic times.”
