Annual changes to the ULI Asia Pacific Executive Committee announced as Nicholas Brooke’s position as regional chair is extended by another year

HONG KONG (2 July 2020) Three real estate industry leaders have joined the ULI Asia Pacific Executive Committee, which oversees the Institute’s activities across the region. The new committee members are Khoo Teng Chye, executive director, Centre for Liveable Cities, Singapore, who joins the Executive Committee as vice chairman; Jon Tanaka, managing director, co-head of Japan Real Estate Angelo, Gordon International LLC Tokyo, Japan; and Jean de Castro, new chair of ULI Philippines and CEO, ESCA Inc., Philippines. In addition, Nicholas Brooke, chairman, Professional Property Services Limited, Hong Kong, has extended his voluntary two-year term as ULI Asia Pacific Chair by another year until the end of June 2021.

“Our ULI Asia Pacific region continues to go from strength to strength,” said W. Edward Walter, global chief executive of ULI. “We are delighted that Nicholas Brooke has agreed to extend his term as chair for another year and that he will be well supported by his new vice chairman, Khoo Teng Chye, as well as the new and existing Executive Committee members. As the first region to enter lockdown after the outbreak of COVID-19, Asia Pacific has also been the first one to emerge on the other side and is leading the way in adapting to the ‘new normal’.”

Following the disruption caused by the COVID-19 crisis, the new Executive Committee is looking forward to safely hosting a comprehensive programme of in-person events over the next year, including the ULI Asia Pacific Summit that will take place in Tokyo, Japan, May 25–27, 2021. The team is also looking to expand the successful ULI Asia Pacific Digital Programme, with a range of virtual conferences and webinars.

“It has been a particularly challenging year due to the outbreak of COVID-19, which impacted this region first and has affected many people both personally and professionally,” said ULI Asia Pacific Chairman, Nicholas Brooke. “The resilience of ULI, which has withstood many economic cycles, has already shone through and I’m very proud that members have been eager to offer help and support, both to each other and to the Institute. The Asia Pacific region has pioneered much of ULI’s digital strategy to help our members stay connected and engaged and we are playing a leading role in how we adapt to socially distanced in-person meetings as we emerge out of lockdown measures. With the new leadership team in place, we can look forward to being at the forefront of thinking through how the real estate industry responds to the COVID-19 crisis.”

The new Executive Committee members join the existing team, including Nicholas Brooke, ULI Asia Pacific chair; Dr. Seek Ngee Huat, past ULI Asia Pacific chair and member of Fund Management Board, GLP, Singapore; Goodwin Gaw, chairman and managing principal, Gaw Capital Partners, Hong Kong; Scott Dunn, vice president, Strategy & Growth, Southeast Asia, AECOM-AP, Singapore; Peter Holland, director, Cistri, Singapore; Phil Kim, managing director, Asia Pacific Jerde Partnership, Hong Kong; Hiroo Mori, new ULI Japan chair and director and executive vice president, Mori Building Co. Ltd, Japan; Raymond Rufino, CEO, NEO, Philippines; Alison Cooke, managing director – real estate, Starr International Advisors (Asia) Limited, Hong Kong; Sean Chiao, president, Asia Pacific, AECOM-AP, Hong Kong,; Benett Theseira, head of Asia Pacific, PGIM Real Estate, Singapore; Tim Wang, senior managing director, Blackstone Group, Hong Kong;, Junho Pok, ULI Korea chair and head of RE Development, IGIS Asset Management Co. Ltd., South Korea; Raymond Chow, ULI Hong Kong chair and executive director, Commercial Property,  Hongkong Land Limited, Hong Kong; Ong Choon-Fah, ULI Singapore chair and chief executive officer, Edmund Tie & Company (SEA) Pte Ltd, Singapore; Hei-Ming Cheng, ULI China Mainland chair and chairman, KaiLong Group, China; and, Ian Mackie, ULI Australia chair.

At a global level, 38 real estate industry luminaries have been added to the roster of ULI’s Global Governing Trustees, including 11 from the Asia Pacific region: Rushabh Desai, Head of Real Estate APAC, Allianz Real Estate GmbH, Singapore; Louise Kavanagh, Managing Director, Nuveen Real Estate, Hong Kong; Xiaomei Lee, Regional Managing Principal, Greater China, Gensler, China; Stuart Mercier, Managing Director and Head of China, Brookfield Asset Management, China; Junho Pok, Head of RE Development, IGIS Asset Management Co., Ltd, South Korea; Susheela Rivers, Partner, Head of Real Estate Asia Pacific, DLA Piper, Hong Kong; Eiji Sakaguchi, President & Chief Executive Officer, CBRE K.K., Japan; Tim Wang, Senior Managing Director, Blackstone Group, Hong Kong; Wei Wang, Managing Director, Ping An Group, China; Delfin Angelo Wenceslao, Chief Executive Officer, D.M. Wenceslao & Associates Inc., Philippines; and, James Wong, Executive Director, Hon Kwok Land Investment Co., Ltd, Hong Kong.

Notes to editors 

For more information contact: 

Peter Walker (Senior Vice President, Communications, ULI) by email ([email protected]) or on +44 7989 391791.

Chris Harris (Director, Communications, ULI) by email ([email protected]) or on +44 7909 824760. Alternatively, contact

About the Urban Land Institute

• The Urban Land Institute is a non-profit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the institute has over 45,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines. For more information, please visit uli.org or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
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