People: Gabbani Now Lendlease Global Commercial REIT Chair – Mingtiandi

New leadership for Lendlease’s SGX-listed REIT leads this week’s collection of personnel updates around Asia, with top level moves at US fund manager AEW and the asset management affiliate of Germany’s Deutsche Bank also making the list.

The manager of Lendlease Global Commercial REIT on 7 August announced that Justin Gabbani, chief executive for Lendlease Group in Asia, would take over as chair of the REIT manager from the next day. Gabbani took charge of the SGX-listed trust following Ng Hsueh Ling’s resignation last month. As part of the appointment, Gabbani will also serve as a member of the audit and risk committee while joining the board as a non-independent, non-executive director.

AEW Capital Management said on 10 August that its global chairman, Jeff Furber, will be retiring at the end of this year after 26 years with the Boston-based fund manager. Furber had served as chief executive of AEW from 1999 to 2020 after joining the firm in 1997, and had moved into the global chairman role in 2020 as part of a reorganisation. In a statement, the company said that, with Furber’s resignation, its business would continue to be led by a global executive committee consisting of Asia chairman David Schaefer, Europe CEO Rob Wilkinson and North America CEO Jon Martin.

DWS announced on 8 August that it has appointed Dr Markus Kobler as chief financial officer and a member of the firm’s executive board with effect from 1 November. Kobler joins the asset management unit of Germany’s Deutsche Bank from Allianz Global Investors, where he has served as chief financial officer since 2013. The new appointment follows Claire Peel’s resignation as DWS’ chief financial officer earlier this year.

HKEX-listed developer Sino Land said on 10 August that it has appointed Nikki Ng Mien Hua to a non-executive director spot on its board with effect from that same day. Now 43, Ng is a daughter of Sino Group chairman Robert Ng Chee Siong, sister of deputy chairman Daryl Ng Win Kong and grand-daughter of founder Ng Teng Fong. In addition to her non-executive director role, the Yale University graduate has been made a director of the company’s Tsim Sha Tsui Properties and Sino Hotels units.

Top mainland insurer China Life on 7 August announced that Li Mingguang (pictured) has been named president of the company, succeeding Zhao Peng. Li, now 54, has been with China Life since 1996 and was appointed to the board as an executive director in August 2019. Zhao had rejoined the insurer in 2022 from the Agricultural Development Bank of China and is said to be giving up the president role due to internal work arrangements.

Colliers said on 8 August that it has appointed Keane Leung as a director with its capital markets and investment services team in Hong Kong. Leung joins the Canada-based property consultancy from JLL where he had served as a director with the capital markets team for a year and a half. Before joining JLL last year, Leung had served more than seven years with Savills in Hong Kong and also has previous experience with Colliers and CBRE in the city.

Singapore-based Evolution Data Centres continues to add to its team with the Warburg Pincus-backed firm recently naming Owen Irving as head of commercial, according to a LinkedIn update. Irving joins the digital infrastructure startup from Standard Chartered Bank where he had served most recently as proptech strategy lead for Asia. In 2021 the University of Auckland graduate had served as a consultant to Evolution after spending more than seven years with telecom provider Vodafone in Singapore.

SGX-listed Ying Li International Real Estate announced on 10 August that Tan Sek Khee has resigned from his role as a non-executive, non-independent director on its board after more than nine years in the role. Now 67, Tan will also be leaving his roles as chairman of the board’s remuneration committee as well as his membership on the audit committee, the builder said in a statement to the stock exchange.

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.