APREA Asia Pacific Market Outlook Series Hong Kong: Rise and Shine

Cathy Lai is the Business Development Lead of BMS Asia responsible for driving the firm’s business growth in Asia. Cathy has over 13 years insurance broking and advisory experience with 8 years in M&A insurance solutions and 5 years in general insurance. Prior to joining BMS, Cathy worked for global insurance broking firms leading the M&A insurance practice in Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as in a senior position in the global client practice. She specializes in insurance solutions for multinational conglomerates, banks and private equity clients ranging from operational insurance placement, insurance due diligence/review, lender’s insurance advisory to transactional risk solutions.

Sigrid is the Chief Executive Officer of Asia Pacific Real Assets Association (APREA). Based in Singapore, she is responsible for overseeing the strategic direction, initiatives and operations of the association across Asia Pacific. Under her leadership, APREA repositioned to an industry trade group focusing on real estate and infrastructure.

Sigrid joined APREA’s executive team in January 2019.

Prior to APREA, she served as Managing Director of Asia Pacific Research and Advisory Services of Cushman & Wakefield (C&W) from 2010 through 2018, where she was responsible for research, thought leadership, strategy formulation and client management.  Before relocating to Singapore, she was based in Washington, D.C. and led C&W’s U.S. research group in the Mid-Atlantic region, overseeing all aspects of market research activities in the Washington, DC; Virginia; Suburban Maryland, Baltimore; and Philadelphia areas. Prior to joining C&W, Sigrid served as a Senior Economist for the National Association of Realtors (NAR). In that position, she developed NAR’s office, warehouse, retail, multi-family housing, and international research programs.

A recognized expert in global economic, public policy and real estate issues, Sigrid is a frequent speaker at industry events.  Her commentary on commercial and residential real estate markets is also regularly featured in a wide array of global publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Bloomberg, New York Times and Reuters. Additionally, she has made several television appearances on financial networks and radio such as CNBC, Bloomberg, CNN, National Public Radio and Channel News Asia.

Sigrid holds a Master of Business Administration from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management and a Master’s degree in Economics from Pennsylvania State University. She is a member of several civic groups including the Rotary Club of Raffles City in Singapore, where she has served in various leadership positions, and serves in the Executive Committee of the Crohn’s & Colitis Society of Singapore.

Mr. Roberto Versace is the Chairperson of the Asia Pacific Real Assets Association (APREA) Hong Kong Chapter and a company Director of APREA, positions held since 2021. Mr. Versace is also a member of the FTSE EPRA Nareit Asia Pacific Regional Advisory Committee and an Editorial Board member of Institutional Real Estate Inc. USA.

From 2017 to September 2023, Mr. Versace was the Managing Director and the Head of Listed Real Estate Asia Pacific at APG Asset Management Asia in Hong Kong. In this role, Mr. Versace was also a member of the APG Asia Executive Leadership Management Committee, the APG Global Real Estate Management Committee, the APG Asia Pacific Real Estate Management Committee and APG’s Global People and Culture Leadership Committee.

Prior to joining APG in 2017, Roberto was the Managing Director and Lead Portfolio Manager at EII Capital Management in London. From 2010 to 2015 Roberto was the Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager for Asia at BNY Mellon Investment Management in Singapore. Prior to BNY Mellon, Roberto was the Portfolio Manager for the NYSE Listed RMR Asia Pacific Real Estate funds on behalf of RMR Advisors (Boston) based in Sydney, Australia.

Roberto holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (Chicago) and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, a Masters of Science in Global Finance at NYU Stern School of Business (New York City) and the HKUST Business School (Hong Kong), and a Bachelor of Economics from The University of Adelaide (Australia).

Background 

Marcos joined CBRE in 2014 and is currently Executive Director and Head of Research for Hong Kong S.A.R. 

Marcos oversees a team of research professionals, covering key property sectors in Hong Kong. He also works closely with the China, Asia Pacific and Global Research teams to proactively drive CBRE’s ongoing objective to produce first-class industry insight, research and analysis for CBRE clients. Marcos is a member of CBRE’s Asia Pacific Research Executive Committee. 

Professional Experience 

With over 25 years of property market experience, Marcos is a member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. He has held various leadership positions in top global surveying firms, including CBRE and JLL, where he led Research teams in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Marcos has also led research consultancy projects for corporate occupiers and investors. In addition, he worked for a Hong Kong developer, conducting pre-acquisition financial analyses and feasibility studies for investment opportunities in local and overseas real estate markets.

Marcos possesses a profound understanding of the real estate market in the Greater China region and is well-versed in occupier trends and landlord requirements due to his strong research background in real estate agency. He is an active property market commentator in the media.

Pro Affiliations / Accreditations

• Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors
• Hong Kong Licensed Estate Agent (EAA License No. E-207829)

Education

• Master of Science (Real Estate), University of Hong Kong
• Bachelor of Economics, University of Sydney

Chen has overall responsibility for international business group and cross-border investment activities in COS-Capital. Since co-founding COS Capital, he has led the group in deploying nearly USD 400mn equity capital into US real estate, ranging from core-plus to value-add to opportunistic projects. From 2007 to 2013, Mr. Chen was Managing Director & Head of Global Real Estate (GRE) - Greater China at UBS Global Asset Management. He was responsible for managing and developing the GRE business as well as the strategic initiatives in the region. He was a member of the Asia Pacific Management Committee of UBS Global Asset Management. He spearheaded the establishment of the UBS/Gemdale JV. While serving as Co-CEO for the JV, he successfully led the launch of its first China Real Estate Fund and served as the principal manager for the fund. Joining UBS in 2003 as the Global Head of Research & Strategy, Mr. Chen was responsible for developing investment strategies and conducting portfolio analysis, as well as providing economic, capital market and real estate market analysis in both private and public markets. He served on various global, regional and country investment committees and boards. Further back, Mr. Chen was Principal - Investment Strategies Group at Lend Lease Real Estate Investments for three years. Earlier, he held various investment positions at Boston Financial, SSR Realty Advisors and MetLife Realty Group. He sits on the Board of Asia Pacific Real Estate Association and the Advisory Board of the Global Chinese Real Estate Congress. He was a board member of American Real Estate Society from 2004 to 2009 and a member of the Advisory Board of Real Estate Research Institute from 2003 to 2008. And in 2004-2009, he was a member of the Editorial Boards for Journal of Real Estate Portfolio Management and Journal of Real Estate Literature. He holds a PhD from MIT, MS from UBC, and a bachelor’s degree from Tsinghua University.

陈李健Lijian Chen 高级执行总裁

负责领导和管理东方藏山的国际和跨境投资业务。自东方藏山成立以来，陈李健先生带领团队在美国完成了约4亿美元的投资，所投项目涵盖了类核心型，增值型和机会型。陈李健先生曾于2007年至2013年担任瑞银（UBS）环球资产管理大中华区地产投资主管，董事总经理。自2008年起他领导团队成功启动瑞银在中国的地产投资业务，完成了第一支美元中国地产基金的募集(基金规模2.07亿美元)，首创国际知名资产管理公司与国内品牌开发商的合作模式，并取得了优异的投资回报。陈李健先生2003年加入瑞银集团，担任全球研究与战略投资主管，负责投资策略的开发，投资组合分析的制定与实施，以及为私募和公募市场提供有关经济政策、资本市场和房地产市场等方面的研究工作。他曾在多个全球性、区域性和国家级的投资委员会和董事会任职。此前，他在澳洲联盛房地产投资管理公司投资策略部门担任主管达三年。早期，他还在波士顿金融公司和SSR Realty Advisors（原美国大都会人寿保险）的投资业务部门担任多种职位。陈李健先生曾获得美国麻省理工学院博士学位、加拿大英属哥伦比亚大学硕士学位和清华大学建筑学学士学位。

Mr. Southergill is a Partner and Asia Head of Real Estate at Ares Management. Prior to joining Ares in 2022, Mr. Southergill was a Managing Director on the Real Estate team at KKR, Hong Kong, where he led Asia real estate acquisitions and was responsible for advancing the firm's Asia real estate investment strategy. Additionally, he served on KKR's Asia Real Estate Investment Committee, Asia Real Estate Portfolio Management Committee and India Real Estate Non-Bank Finance Company Investment Committee. Previously, Mr. Southergill was Managing Director and Head of Asia Real Estate Investing in the Global Special Opportunities Group at J.P. Morgan, where he led its proprietary, special situations-style, real estate investing business in Asia. In addition, Mr. Southergill spent the first decade of his career at Morgan Stanley, where he was responsible for real estate investing projects and corporate finance advisory mandates in the United States, Europe and Asia. Mr. Southergill currently serves on the Asia Pacific Real Estate Association (APREA) Hong Kong Chapter Board, is Co-Chair of the Urban Land Institute's Asia Pacific Capital Markets Council and is Co-Chair of the Real Estate Committee for the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. Mr. Southergill holds a B.A., magna cum laude, from Amherst College in Economics and Political Science.

Mr. Chen is currently the Director & President of Everbright Jiabao, and the Chairman & CEO of EBA (Beijing) Investment Management Ltd, a holding subsidiary of the company. Mr. Chen used to work at Beijing Institute of Architectural Design, Barker Pacific Group. Inc (Los Angeles), Lehman Brothers’ subsidiary asset management company and Tishman China Fund.

Mr Chen has over 20 years of experience in real estate investment and asset management as well as the capital market. He is proficient in both Chinese and English. Mr. Chen holds a master degree in real estate development from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor degree in architecture from Tsinghua University.

Mr. Jonathan Chau is Head of Capital Markets Hong Kong and Head of the Investment Property & Private Office at CBRE Advisory Hong Kong Limited.

Professional Experience 

Jonathan is a seasoned property investment specialist with extensive experience in commercial en‑bloc transactions, development sites, and strategic advisory for private and institutional clients. A graduate of Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, he began his career with Savills (Hong Kong) Limited, starting in the Investment Department before expanding into the Commercial En‑Bloc and Development Site Sales team.

Throughout his career, Jonathan has played a key role in executing numerous market‑defining transactions. His involvement in major disposals—including 68 Yee Wo Street, Trade Square, the Merrill Lynch Portfolio, Fitfort, and 169 Electric Road—established his reputation as a trusted specialist in the Hong Kong investment market.

He later led the Projects and Business Integration (PBI) team, driving key innovation initiatives and supporting a substantial portfolio of transactions exceeding HK$35 billion. His leadership enhanced operational efficiency and solidified his standing in the investment market. Jonathan then went on to head the Investment Private Office, providing bespoke investment strategies and disposal services—including Private Treaty, Tender, and Public Auction—to High‑Net‑Worth Families, Institutional Funds, and Boutique Developers, with a strong focus on confidentiality and long‑term client relationships.

Jonathan joined CBRE Advisory Hong Kong Limited in 2020 and now serves as Head of Capital Markets Hong Kong and Head of Investment Property & Private Office.  His leadership continues to drive innovation and enhance performance across CBRE’s capital markets platform in Hong Kong. In his current capacity, Jonathan oversees the day‑to‑day operations of the unit, including client relationship management, project delivery, research coordination, and major capital transactions, while ensuring the delivery of high‑quality, bespoke advisory services across the Hong Kong property investment landscape.

Pro Affiliations / 

Accreditations

• Licensed Estate Agent in Hong Kong (License No. E-235473)

Education

• Bachelor Degree of Arts in Communication from the Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Mr THAM is responsible for the Manager’s corporate development, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and capital transactions. He joined the Manager in April 2022. He is one of the responsible officers of the Manager for the purposes of the SFO, and a director of a number of subsidiaries of Link.

Mr THAM has extensive experience in real estate investment, management and development, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, corporate and investment banking and accounting and finance. He has held senior roles in multinational and global financial institutions, with responsibility for the execution of multijurisdictional corporate actions and with an operational remit spanning Hong Kong, Mainland China, Singapore and internationally. Prior to joining the Manager, he was an executive director of each of Lai Sun Development Company Limited and Lai Fung Holdings Limited, both are listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange. He has held senior positions at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Swire Pacific Group, HSBC Global Banking and Macquarie Capital.

He trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse (now known as PwC), London and is a Fellow Member of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is a Member of the Professional Accountants in Business Committee and was formerly the Chairman of the Registration and Practising Committee of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is also a Member of the Hong Kong Securities and Investment Institute and a Member of the Finance Committee of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Mr THAM holds a Master of Engineering in chemical engineering from Imperial College, University of London in the United Kingdom.

Ms Christina Hau is the Chief Executive Officer of Champion Real Estate Investment Trust, overseeing its strategic development, asset management, asset enhancement and investment opportunities. Ms Hau is a Registered Architect in Hong Kong with over 20 years of experience in the real estate industry, covering design, planning, project management and asset management of renowned world-class commercial complexes. Prior to joining the REIT Manager, Ms Hau worked at Hong Kong’s leading real estate listed companies overseeing key investment properties in Mainland China. Ms Hau graduated from The Chinese University of Hong Kong with degrees in Master of Architecture and Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons). She is a member of Hong Kong Institute of Architects and Vice- Chairman of Commercial Properties Research Association under China Real Estate Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Hubert CHAK ("Mr. CHAK") has extensive experience in real estate and financial industries. He joined Link Asset Management Limited, the manager of Link Real Estate Investment Trust, in June 2010 and was its director of finance when he left in December 2018. He was also one of its responsible officers from September 2010 to August 2018. Prior to that, he was an executive director of CSI Properties Limited from April 2007 to May 2010. He also held various senior management positions at Pacific Century group between October 1999 and February 2007 and was an executive director of Pacific Century Premium Developments Limited from May 2004 to February 2007.

Mr. CHAK holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration from University of Wales (currently known as Cardiff University) in the United Kingdom.

Sarah Cooper is Managing Director & Global Head of Real Estate Equity Sales at BofA Securities, based in Hong Kong. She is a member of the BofA Hong Kong Leadership team, and Chairman of the Hong Kong Philanthropy committee.

Sarah works closely with both the research & banking side of BofA. She has worked on transactions from markets as diverse as Russia, China, India & Indonesia, as well as being active in traditional developed markets (notably Australia, UK, Germany, Singapore, USA, HK & Japan). Sarah was a top ranked property analyst in Australia, before moving to London and then Hong Kong where she has lived for 10 years.

Sarah is ranked the #1 property specialist sales person in II & is a trusted advisor of both global & local real estate investors. Sarah is a Global Trustee for the Urban Land institute, and on the Board of the HK chapter of the Asia Pacific Real Estate Association. She is the Chairman of BofA’s HK Philanthropy committee, & was previously Co-Chair of the Asian GBAM Women’s Leadership Council. She completed the Taupo Ironman in 2001, coaches mini rugby & Auskicks, & is passionate about family, travel, & cutting the volume of emails at BofA. She has been at the firm for 20 years.

Eduard Wehry is a managing director at PGIM Real Estate. Eduard is head of Hong Kong and head of business development for Asia Pacific. Based in Hong Kong, he is responsible for investor relationships and capital raising in the region. He is a member of the Asia Pacific Executive Committee.

Eduard joined PGIM Real Estate in February 2016.

Prior to joining PGIM Real Estate, he was the Asia Pacific regional head of Investors Services at CBRE global investors and a member of its Global leadership team.

Prior to this, he was regional head of Institutional Clients at ING Real Estate Investment Management. He began his career in 1995 in Investment Banking and spent 11 years working in corporate finance M&A advisory roles in Amsterdam, London and Hong Kong, with ING Barings, Baring Brothers International and ING Corporate Finance.

Eduard transferred to Hong Kong in April 2000 and has been based in Asia since, gaining broad experience in working in the different markets across the region.

Eduard holds a master of science in business administration from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam.

With 30+ years’ experience dedicated to real estate and technology, Bernie is a leader in digital transformation in real estate and using data to create a more competitive and collaborative environment. Currently responsible for the growth of Yardi Systems in Asia Pacific, Bernie lives in Hong Kong and is a qualified accountant and economist.

He supports real estate clients with Retail, Commercial, Industrial, Residential and Mixed-Use assets, helping them to grow their operations, create efficiencies, and gain better insight into their business. His expertise includes asset and investment management, private equity, operations improvement, program and project management, finance, technology implementation and compliance.

Bernie has led large-scale technology projects, as well as led and supported Proptech start-ups, across Australia, the USA, Middle East, Asia and Europe. He has over 60 publications to his name, and extensive public speaking experience. He is actively working with several charities focused on the marine environment and feeding those in need in Hong Kong.

Hank Hsu is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Forest Logistics Properties.  Formerly the Head of China Investments at Ascendas-Singbridge, an industrial and logistics real estate investment platform under Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, Temasek Holdings, Hank has close to 20 years of experience in real estate investment and fund management. Prior to Ascendas-Singbridge, he served as Investment Director at China Orient Summit Capital (China) and Portman Group (US). He has completed and managed investment transactions totalling nearly USD 6.5 billion in logistics, industrial and mixed-use properties in China and the US. He holds an MBA degree from University of California, Berkeley, and a MDes (Real Estate) from Harvard University.

As the Deputy General Manager of China Overseas Commercial Properties CO., Ltd. (COCP), Angel Tang leads the assets management and leasing effort of COCP’s 6 million-square-meter Grade A office buildings across China and overseas, with her 14 years’ experience in the field of commercial real estate. 

As a flagship of the global commercial office asset management brand, COOC(China Overseas Office Capital)was established under Tang’s leadership, it has catapulted COCP’s Office assets business segment into a new phase of comprehensive brand development.

COOC has become one of the largest single ownership office building development brands in China, developing and operating Grade A office buildings across nearly 30 cities.

In order to capture the new trend of work style, smart working brand-OFFICEZIP was established to create a new office ecosystem with a variety of supporting formats for life and business, forming an ecological value circle with complementary customers and products with COOC, Officloud and Officare.

Edmund Ho is the Regional Head of Commercial Real Estate, Greater China & North Asia, for Standard Chartered Bank. With a team of 30 plus bankers based in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul, he manages the bank’s Commercial and Investment Banking business targeting highly selected group of property developers and property institutional investors in the regions. Edmund’s business scope comprises loans (corporate and project levels), leverage financing (bridge and acquisition finance), capital markets (bonds and bank syndications), corporate advisory (M&A and private placement), and balance sheet management (transaction banking and financial markets/hedging). Edmund is also responsible for managing the bank’s real estate loan exposure in the regions he covers.

Edmund has over 25 years of corporate banking and investment banking experience. He joined Standard Chartered Bank in June 2009 after heading Citibank’s Real Estate Investment Banking franchise in Asia Pacific as a Managing Director. Prior to Citibank, Edmund was a Greater China investment banker at JP Morgan and Jardine Fleming. Edmund has a BSc degree in Engineering Physics from Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario) and an MBA from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Edmund is also a chartered holder of CFA.

Wilfred is Co‐Chief Operating Officer & Head of Equities of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX). He is also Chief Executive of HKEX’s wholly‐owned subsidiaries, The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited and Hong Kong Futures Exchange Limited.

Previously, he was Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer for Beijing Gao Hua Securities Company Limited, and Chairman of its wholly‐owned subsidiary, Qian Kun Futures Co Ltd. Prior to that, he was Head of Credit Structured Products for Asia at Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C.
Mr Yiu served as a governor for the board of the Dalian Commodity Exchange in China from 2015 to 2017.

Mr Yiu is a member of the Securities Compensation Fund Committee of the Securities and Futures Commission, and a member of Education and Development Committee of the Hong Kong Securities and Investment Institute. He is also a member of the Supervisory Committee for the Tracker Fund of Hong Kong,

Mr Yiu is an adjunct professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He is also an advisory board member of Research Institute for Business of The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, and Professional Fellow of the Honours Academy of the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong.

Mr Yiu earned a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Stanford University and an MBA in Finance from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

Mr. Roberto Versace is the Chairperson of the Asia Pacific Real Assets Association (APREA) Hong Kong Chapter and a company Director of APREA, positions held since 2021. Mr. Versace is also a member of the FTSE EPRA Nareit Asia Pacific Regional Advisory Committee and an Editorial Board member of Institutional Real Estate Inc. USA.

From 2017 to September 2023, Mr. Versace was the Managing Director and the Head of Listed Real Estate Asia Pacific at APG Asset Management Asia in Hong Kong. In this role, Mr. Versace was also a member of the APG Asia Executive Leadership Management Committee, the APG Global Real Estate Management Committee, the APG Asia Pacific Real Estate Management Committee and APG’s Global People and Culture Leadership Committee.

Prior to joining APG in 2017, Roberto was the Managing Director and Lead Portfolio Manager at EII Capital Management in London. From 2010 to 2015 Roberto was the Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager for Asia at BNY Mellon Investment Management in Singapore. Prior to BNY Mellon, Roberto was the Portfolio Manager for the NYSE Listed RMR Asia Pacific Real Estate funds on behalf of RMR Advisors (Boston) based in Sydney, Australia.

Roberto holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (Chicago) and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, a Masters of Science in Global Finance at NYU Stern School of Business (New York City) and the HKUST Business School (Hong Kong), and a Bachelor of Economics from The University of Adelaide (Australia).