The world’s largest pension fund manager leads this week’s round of personnel moves from around Asia’s real estate industry, with Japan GPIF said to be ready to hand an extension to its CIO. Top level moves for Canada’s CDPQ in India and for Global Infrastructure Partners in Singapore also make the list.
The top investor for the world’s largest pension fund could be on his way to a job extension, with Bloomberg reporting this past week that Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund is considering giving Eiji Ueda another year as chief investment officer. Formerly with Goldman Sachs, Ueda took on the CIO role for the $1.53 trillion fund manager in 2020 and was reappointed in 2022. The extension would align the end of Ueda’s term with that of GPIF president Masataka Miyazono.
Canada’s Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) said on 11 March that it has appointed N Venkatram (Venkat) as country chair for its India operation from 1 April. Venkat will be taking on his role with CDPQ India after 30 years with accounting giant Deloitte, including serving as chief executive and managing partner of Deloitte South Asia from 2015 through 2023.
Former Credit Suisse chief executive for Asia Pacific Edwin Low has joined Global Infrastructure Partners as a partner based in Singapore, according to a Bloomberg report. Low’s new role is said to cover investment in emerging markets, and comes after GIP earlier this month closed on more than $2.1 billion in capital for its GIP Emerging Markets I Fund. BlackRock in January agreed to acquire GIP for around $12.5 billion.
Prime US REIT informed the Singapore stock exchange on Friday that Harmeet Singh Bedi has resigned as chief executive officer of the real estate investment trust with effect from 31 March. Singh Bedi is said to be leaving to pursue other opportunities after having been promoted to lead the REIT of US office properties in March of last year. In the past 12 months Prime US REIT’s equity has lost 60 percent of its value as investors shun listings of US office properties.
Ada Wong has joined Hong Kong’s Pure Group as chief executive officer, according to a LinkedIn update. Wong takes on the top spot with the high-end fitness and wellness chain after just over two years as chief strategy officer with EC Healthcare in the city. The University of Michigan graduate also spent more than seven years with Hong Kong-listed Champion REIT, including over five years as chief executive officer.
Darshan Vora has been promoted to vice president with Brookfield Asset Management in Mumbai, according to a LinkedIn update. In his new role Vora is responsible for capital markets and treasury management for the region, and the promotion comes after he spent just over two years as a director with the Canadian fund management giant. The graduate of Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics has now been with Brookfield since 2016.
Cruise Chen has joined Henderson Land Development in Shanghai as head of leasing portfolio for The Pier, one of the Hong Kong real estate giant’s commercial projects in the China’s commercial capital, according to a LinkedIn update. Chen joins Henderson after more than three years as deputy general manager for SK China’s Shanghai Sky project and also has experience with K11, Hang Lung and CBRE.
Michelle Liang has joined UK luxury developer Berkeley Group as a business development manager based in Singapore, according to a LinkedIn update. Liang stepped into her new role with the London-based firm this month after a year with the Asia Pacific business development team at Knight Frank in the city. The former Shanghai resident also previously worked with the international residential sales teams with Savills and JLL in China’s commercial capital.
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.