APREA Malaysia Conference

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.

Dato’ Stewart LaBrooy is a Board member of the Asia Pacific Real Estate Association (APREA). It is the industry body for the suppliers and users of capital in the real estate sector. He served as the founding Chairman of the Malaysian REIT Managers Association (MRMA), from 2010-2015, an organization he helped set up in 2010 to give Malaysian REIT Managers a single voice for the purpose of engagement with the Regulators and Ministry of Finance.

Dato LaBrooy has been writing on a regular basis on Property and REITs for the local mainstream print and online media for the past five years or so, and is known and recognised as the “REIT Guru” in the country. He is also a prominent speaker on the subject of Industrial Estate Development and Conventional and Islamic REITs in the region, having been invited to deliver papers in Singapore, Hong Kong, Istanbul, New York, London, Saudi Arabia, Philippines and Malaysia.

He was appointed Executive Director of Axis REIT on 22 March 2005 and Chief Executive Office (“CEO”) of Axis REIT since August 2008. Axis REIT was the first REIT to be listed in Malaysia and the first Shariah-compliant industrial REIT in the world. Under his leadership, Axis REIT has won several awards, among them, the APREA Best Practices Award in 2010, 2011 and 2013. Axis REIT has provided its investors with total average returns in excess of 25% over the 10 years he helmed the business and still trades today at a 30% premium to NAV. In 2017 Dato’ LaBrooy formed the world’s first unlisted Shariah compliant Education Asset based REIT- Alpha REIT ,which has a planned listing in 2022. He is currently serving as the Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Dato’ Stewart LaBrooy is the Executive Chairman of AREA Management Sdn. Bhd. a subsidiary of AREA Advisors Pte Ltd (AREA) an appointment he has taken since his retirement as CEO and Executive Director of Axis REIT Managers Bhd (ARMB) on 31 December 2015. With a career spanning over 40 years in the industrial space, he has spent well over a decade since 2005 in heading Axis REIT and establishing REITs as an important component of the capital markets. Dato’ Stewart LaBrooy is also a director of a number of public and private companies involved in property development, services and property investment.

Since its inception, AREA was established as a boutique advisory firm providing advice on investing in industrial properties in Malaysia, UK, Australia and Germany. AREA has decided to expand its advisory role to include funds management. It has since set up a company that will undertake the investment management activities (the AREA Industrial Development Fund 1 (AIDF 1) and AREA Management Sdn Bhd (AMSB) was set up to undertake the management of the projects of the fund in Malaysia. AREA Advisors Pte Ltd was re-designated as the Funds management company. In November 2015 AIDF 1 launched its first maiden project a 1,200,000 sq. ft. e-commerce hub in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.

Dato’ Stewart LaBrooy is also a director of a number of public and private companies involved in property development, services and property investment.

Azlan Azri, currently serving as Head of Industrial & Logistics Development at Sime Darby Property, brings more than two decades of extensive experience in architecture, property, industrial, and infrastructure development. He leads the end-to-end strategy and execution of the Group’s industrial and logistics portfolio, focusing on key growth sectors such as Google Hyperscale Data Centre, smart logistics, high-value manufacturing, and SME supply chain. His expertise spans the full spectrum of industrial development, supporting companies in achieving business efficiency through ecosystem integration, innovative industrial solutions, and close collaboration with industrial technology
partners.

Previously, he led township developments including BBR4, Lembah Acob, and Bukit Cherakah at Sime Darby Property, demonstrating strong capabilities in project delivery, strategic planning, and leadership. He holds RIBA accreditation and a Bachelor's in Architecture, combining global architectural expertise with proven operational leadership.

Mr. Masayuki Ozaki is the Chief Financial Officer of the Manager of NTT DC REIT.

Mr. Ozaki brings close to two decades of experience in real estate investments, particularly in public equities real estate investments in APAC at firms like APG, Heitman, and Fidelity (FMR), most recently serving as a Principal at Blackstone Japan, overseeing fundraising and investor relations for Japanese investors, from October 2022 to July 2024.

Prior to that, between July 2018 and September 2022, he was the Senior Portfolio Manager at APG Asset Management Asia and was involved in equity research and portfolio management of public real estate securities across Asia Pacific. From July 2017 to July 2018, he was the Vice President and Senior Analyst of Asia Pacific real estate securities at Heitman International Real Estate Securities. He was also an Equity Analyst at Fidelity Management & Research (Japan) from September 2013 to December 2016 and Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers from July 2006 to August 2013, covering the public real estate securities portfolio in Japan, Singapore and Australia.

Mr. Ozaki started his career in the financial services departments of Citibank, N.A., Bank of America, N.A., and Morgan Stanley Japan where he, respectively, developed and managed investment products, provided financial and valuation analysis for merger and acquisition and asset securitisation deals, and provided credit analysis of commercial mortgage-backed security loans and managed counter party risks for Japanese financial institutions.

Mr. Ozaki holds a Bachelor of Laws from Keio University and a Master of Management in Hospitality and a Master of Business Administration from Cornell University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Ai Leen is a partner in the Real Estate Practice Group of Wong & Partners, the member firm of Baker McKenzie International in Malaysia. She has over 25 years' experience in the real estate industry and is recognised by both Chambers Asia Pacific and Legal 500 Asia Pacific as a Band 1 and Tier 1 practitioner for her capability in the Real Estate practice.

Ai Leen has significant experience representing local and multinational property developers and investors across complex real estate transactions, including sale and purchase agreements, tenancies, and lease agreements. Her expertise extends to the burgeoning Malaysian data center industry, where she has emerged as a leading force through her involvement in multi-million dollar projects including data center developments, greenfield investments and colocation leases or service agreements. Her ability to navigate complex legal and regulatory challenges in this emerging industry, coupled with deep understanding of the industry's dynamics, makes her the go-to person for multinational clients seeking to invest and develop data centers in Malaysia.

David White is a Managing Director at LaSalle in the Debt Investments team, overseeing the LaSalle Real Estate Debt Strategies (LREDS) business. He has extensive experience lending throughout the capital structure and in real estate debt investments, including mezzanine and whole loans, as well as direct real estate investments, distressed credit, and restructuring.  Prior to joining LaSalle, David was a Partner at Intriva Capital Advisors LLP, where he was based in London as a member of the Investment Committee, and oversaw the investment team.

Prior to joining Intriva, David was a founding Partner at Tyndaris Real Estate, an alternative lending platform based in London and focused on both opportunistic and secured income on a pan-European basis.  At Tyndaris Real Estate David oversaw the build-out of the firm and the team, and helped build the capital base from scratch to €1.6 billion in assets under management, deploying capital in senior loans, mezzanine and preferred equity, equity and CMBS purchases.  He also sat on the Investment Committee and oversaw all aspects of reporting, asset management, workout and restructuring efforts.  David started his career at Deutsche Bank in the Real Estate Special Situations Group where he focused on direct lending, distressed investing and purchasing non-performing loan pools.  He worked in London, Hong Kong and New York during his time at Deutsche Bank. David began his career in real estate private equity and debt investment in 2007.