APREA Connect Singapore

Heron is a Senior Economist within Cushman & Wakefield’s Global Think Tank, focusing on the Asia-Pacific region. He has an extensive background as a global macroeconomist and researcher, providing in-depth research insights for many of the world’s leading corporations during his previous roles at Moody’s Analytics and Experian. Heron’s expertise has been widely cited in leading global and regional news publications, including TIME Magazine, Bloomberg, the BBC, and Channel NewsAsia.

Currently, Heron is also an External Lecturer at the ESSEC Business School Asia-Pacific campus. He is also a member of the Economic Society of Singapore.

Shaun is the Executive Director of the Capital Markets team in Singapore. He leads a team of investment brokers in Singapore and works closely with the regional capital markets team to support cross border real estate investments. Shaun is a key member of the Singapore leadership team.  

Shaun is well regarded in the property investment industry in Singapore, having handled some of Singapore’s landmark commercial property investment deals over the last three decades. He has a proven track record, with a strong depth of experience across diverse sectors in the Singapore market. In 2018, Shaun brokered the largest commercial investment deal with the sale of Twenty Anson. He was the driving force behind the sale of high profile developments such as Wilkie Edge, Afro Asia Building, bulk sale of 10 bungalows in Pearl Island Sentosa, IPO portfolio of the Sabana REIT, Starhub Green, Compaq Building, IPC Building II, Micropolis Building, Linberg Centre, Keypoint, 6 floors of strata offices at Samsung Hub, VTB Building, Chow House, The Corporate Office, The Corporate Building, Marina House, Robinson Point, 108 Robinson Road, Prime Centre as well as Tower 15.  

Shaun is a highly skilled and an experienced property advisor, having led teams in a broad range of property services since 1991, including the marketing of commercial, residential and industrial real estate, investment sales and auctions locally and in the region.

As the Head of research for Singapore & Southeast Asia at Cushman & Wakefield (C&W), Xian Yang is responsible for managing and delivering real estate and economic research and strategic analysis, with the view of providing research-based perspectives to commercial leasing and investment processes. He leads the research team in gathering market intelligence and presents the findings to fund-level investors. His insights on the Singapore real estate market are well sought-after by both the local and international media. 

Xian Yang also provides consultancy services with a focus on residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. His clients range from multinational corporations and government-linked companies to real estate funds. 

Prior to joining C&W, he was the head of research at OrangeTee, where he focused on residential research.

Sona is the Head of Retail Sales and Strategy, APAC at Cushman & Wakefield. She joined the firm at a pivotal time as we expand our regional retail platform to bring the best of our global retail expertise and network to our clients across Asia Pacific and around the world. Her vast client-side experience with iconic global retail brands will be instrumental in deepening client partnerships and driving and unlocking new growth opportunities for the retail business across the region. 

Sona will also focus on strengthening cross-border collaboration, connecting the firm’s global retail teams and building client relationships both regionally and globally. She will provide comprehensive advisory and end to end operational support to help clients make fully informed and risk-adjusted decisions that drive desired business outcomes.  

Sona brings over 25 years of extensive experience in global brand management, merchandising and retail operations, with a proven track record of delivering profitable growth. She has successfully launched and operated more than 200 stores for iconic global brands across Asia Pacific and led cross-border teams of over 1,300 people. Having lived and worked in multiple countries, Sona has accumulated diverse category expertise and broad geographic insight. Her deep understanding of the customer journey and firsthand knowledge of retailers’ needs, challenges and strategic priorities has enabled her to consistently deliver hyper-localized go-to-market and scale up strategies that generate results tailored to diverse market conditions.

Sharon’s extensive experience across multiple sectors – Corporate Real Estate, Hospitality, Project Management and Design and Construction – demonstrates her versatile expertise. With over 14 years of track record in the industry, Sharon excels at creating values for her clients through understanding client requirements and tailoring unique solutions. Her role also involves managing key relationships, client feedbacks as well as overseeing project execution.  

As the Head of Client Services Southeast Asia whilst leading Key Accounts across Asia Pacific, Sharon is responsible for the success of the region. 

Based in Singapore, Sharon leverages her market expertise and client care experience to drive success in diverse projects and client engagements. 

Bearing a personal interest and background in business, interior design and business development across the varying disciplines of real estate, Sharon has deep understanding about APAC markets, real estate and fitout requirements, bringing to clients a unique and valuable project experience.

Gordon sits on the APAC Capital Markets Board and was elevated to Head of Capital Markets, Asia Pacific in 2022.

In the role of Head of Capital Markets, he is tasked with driving the firm’s Capital Markets strategy around regional clients and institutional investors and works with the brokerage teams across Asia Pacific. Gordon joined Cushman & Wakefield in 2007 and has over 15 years of real estate experience in Asia Pacific, covering strategic advice, investor relations, capital raising and brokerage. He has led divestment campaigns on individual assets and significant portfolios across multiple asset classes.

Having previously been actively involved in Asian outbound capital, he is also well versed on global real estate markets and their drivers of growth. Gordon started his real estate career in London in the late 1990’s.