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With the optimistic outlook in the Philippines, we at APREA are pleased to organize our first conference in the country, bringing together business leaders and industry experts from the region.
With the theme “Accelerate and Elevate,” the APREA Philippines Conference will delve into opportunities and trends shaping the future of real assets through industry presentations and panel discussions. Join C-suite executives and thought leaders in this engaging and thought-provoking conference, where you can learn from and connect with the movers and shakers of the industry.
| DELEGATE FEES | ||
|---|---|---|
| APREA Member | Non-Member | |
| Delegate Pass | One (1) complimentary delegate passUSD 99 for additional delegate pass | USD 200Group discounts available for 2 or more attendees from the same company (50% off on subsequent delegate passes) |
For sponsorship opportunities or if you are interested in becoming a delegate, please contact selina.wang@aprea.asia
Host
SELINA WANG
Country Principal, Singapore
APREA
SELINA WANG
Country Principal, Singapore
APREA
Prior to APREA, Selina worked at the Singapore Business Federation to develop high-level strategies on market engagement for key markets in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Mongolia. She is experienced in member and stakeholder engagement through national-level exhibitions, conferences, seminars, overseas mission trips and digital platform creation.
Selina has also worked with both Ascendas Funds Management and City Development Limited (CDL). In Ascendas, she supported the portfolio management of industrial space in the UK and Australia. In CDL, she rotated in various roles, from commercial leasing in Singapore to project and operations management of various projects in China.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Real Estate from National University of Singapore with a Dean’s List award.
Speaker
Sigrid Zialcita
CEO
APREA
Sigrid Zialcita
CEO
APREA
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.
With the rise of the REITs regime, the Philippines is poised for a revolution in real assets. Navigating this transformative landscape requires adept market insights and innovative investment models, ensuring a robust and sustainable foundation for the evolving real assets sector in the country.
Speaker
Dr. Joselito Basilio
Principal Economist
Department of Budget and Management
Dr. Joselito Basilio
Principal Economist
Department of Budget and Management
Dr. Joselito R. Basilio is the Principal Economist of the Department of Budget and Management, serving the Department in its work on budget policy, strategy, research and economic analysis. Prior to his assignment at the DBM, he served at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas as a Principal Researcher.
The Philippine Office/Commercial real estate market continues its recovery in 2023 primarily due to the continued demand coming from the IT-BPM sector. However, with imminent changes in legislation supporting the growth of hybrid work system and new emerging occupier market trends, the sustainable recovery of the office market remains uncertain. Gain insights as to what’s next for Philippine commercial real estate market in 2024.
Speaker
Tetet Castro
Director, Tenant Advisory Group
Cushman & Wakefield Philippines
Tetet Castro
Director, Tenant Advisory Group
Cushman & Wakefield Philippines
Tetet is responsible for developing and overseeing all commercial, industrial and retail appointments in the Philippines focusing on Tenant Strategy and Solution Services. She makes sure that the team provides high quality tenant representation services, from developing relationships to handling transactions for companies with occupational requirements locally.
Tetet has over 28 years of experience in real estate. In 2004, she joined Cuervo Far East, Cushman & Wakefield’s former associate partner in the Philippines, to head the Client Solutions team. In 2012, she joined the pioneer team that established the wholly owned office of Cushman & Wakefield in the Philippines. She is the country champion and single point of contact for all Cushman and Wakefield accounts locally. To date, she has transacted over 10,000,000 sf of office space.
The Philippines’ strong economic growth, growing middle class, and favorable investment climate make it a good destination for real estate investments. This session explores the structure and dynamics of the real estate market in the Philippines, how it adapts to evolving economic trends and demographics, and how these trends create opportunities. There is also the increased focus on sustainability initiatives, shaping the future landscape of Philippine real estate as an attractive and forward-thinking investment choice.
Panelist
Florent Humeau
CEO
Red Planet Hotels
Florent Humeau
CEO
Red Planet Hotels
Florent Humeau, the Chief Executive Officer of Red Planet, boasts an illustrious career spanning over 15 years in the dynamic realm of hospitality. With a diverse background in senior operational management, Florent has garnered extensive expertise in steering hospitality operations across various international landscapes, including France, the UK, China, Seychelles, Thailand, and the Philippines.
Florent embarked on his journey with Red Planet Hotel contributing his wealth of knowledge and skills as the Director of Operations for the company's Indonesian operations. Recognizing his exceptional leadership and operational acumen, he swiftly ascended the corporate ladder, earning a promotion to the role of Vice President of Operations for both Indonesia and the Philippines in July 2019.
Demonstrating his commitment to excellence and a remarkable ability to navigate the complexities of the hospitality industry, Florent transitioned to Red Planet's Head Office in Bangkok in 2021. Here, he assumed the pivotal position of Senior Vice President of Operations, where he oversaw the company's strategic initiatives and ensured overall operational efficiency.
In June 2022, Florent's journey with Red Planet reached its zenith as he ascended to the coveted role of Chief Executive Officer. His promotion recognizes not only his loyalty to the brand, but also his pivotal part in Red Planet's success. Florent Humeau, Red Planet's CEO, continues to bring his array of international expertise and strategic vision to the forefront, pushing the company to new heights of innovation and success in the competitive hospitality market.
Panelist
Jericho P. Go
President and CEO
RL Commercial REIT, Inc. (RCR)
Jericho P. Go
President and CEO
RL Commercial REIT, Inc. (RCR)
Jericho P. Go, 53, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of RL Commercial REIT, Inc. He also serves as the Senior Vice President and Business Unit General Manager of Robinsons Offices in Robinsons Land Corporation. He is concurrently the President and Chief Executive Officer of Robinsons DoubleDragon Corp. and the Chairman and President of Robinsons Equitable Tower Condominium Corporation, Robinsons Summit Center Condominium Corporation and Galleria Corporate Center Condominium Corporation. He has over 30 years of experience in the field of real estate and was responsible for filing and registering the Philippines' very first IT park with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) in 1997. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Development Studies from the University of the Philippines and graduated Magna Cum Laude and Class Salutatorian in 1993.
Panelist
Mark Mulingbayan
Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of Enterprise Risk Management
Filinvest Development Corporation
Mark Mulingbayan
Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of Enterprise Risk Management
Filinvest Development Corporation
Mr Mulingbayan is the chief sustainability officer and head of enterprise risk management of Filinvest Development Corporation, with oversight on the ESG and ERM practices of the Filinvest Group. As the lead of the sustainability and risk councils in the conglomerate, he ensures that policies and processes are standardized across the business units, while encouraging the cross-fertilization of ideas for best practices.
He was a former chief sustainability officer and ERM head of a listed water utility company where he was instrumental in the launch of the first ASEAN Sustainability Bond by a corporate issuer from the Philippines, which was also the largest sustainability bond issuance for a listed private water utility in Asia at the time. Among his other accomplishments was the establishment of a robust environmental compliance management system and a 500-hectare tree nurturing project in the Upper Marikina Watershed in response to Typhoon Ondoy.
Mr Mulingbayan also was the municipal environmental and natural resources officer of a local government in Batangas and a member of the faculty of the College of Engineering in UP Diliman. As an environmental engineer, he was involved in promoting constructed wetlands for water quality improvement, design and construction of sanitary landfills and lagoons, and the optimization of sewage treatment plant operations. He is a mountaineer, biker, wild bird photographer and maintains an interest in pre-1900 Philippine cartography.
Moderator
Daniel Feldmann
Senior Portfolio Manager, Real Estate, Asia Pacific
APG Asset Management Asia
Daniel Feldmann
Senior Portfolio Manager, Real Estate, Asia Pacific
APG Asset Management Asia
Daniel Feldmann joined Hazelview Investmeants (formerly Timbercreek Equities Corp) in February 2012 as Analyst, Global Real Estate Securities. Daniel is based in the Hong Kong office and in his current role is responsible for co-managing Hazelview’s global real estate securities strategies, the financial analyses, valuation and investment recommendation of global real estate sectors and securities.
Daniel has over 12 years of experience in finance, accounting and capital markets and has worked in the public real estate investment market since 2010. Daniel was responsible for Hazelview’s European real estate securities coverage in the Zurich office before transferring to Hong Kong in June 2016 to establish the company's local Asian presence. Prior to joining Hazelview, Daniel was an Analyst of global real estate securities at 4IP Management AG, an Analyst of global real estate securities at Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. Corporate Finance (Switzerland) AG and a Funds Analyst at UBS AG.
Daniel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Banking and Finance, a Master of Arts in Economics and Business Administration and a Ph.D in Business Administration from the University of Zurich. He holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designation.
How can cross-border real asset transactions be facilitated in the Philippines? Gain insights into navigating regulatory challenges, seizing opportunities, and optimizing international investment portfolios in this fireside chat.
Speaker
Martin Siah
Deputy Chairman
APREA Singapore Chapter
Singapore Country Executive, Head of Southeast Asia Global Corporate and Investment Banking, Head of Asia Pacific Real Estate, Gaming and Leisure
Bank of America
Martin Siah
Deputy Chairman
APREA Singapore Chapter
Singapore Country Executive, Head of Southeast Asia Global Corporate and Investment Banking, Head of Asia Pacific Real Estate, Gaming and Leisure
Bank of America
Martin Siah is Singapore Country Executive, Head of Southeast Asia Global Corporate and Investment Banking, and Head of Asia Pacific Real Estate, Gaming and Leisure at Bank of America.
Prior to joining Bank of America, Martin was Head of Greater China and Southeast Asia Commercial Real Estate and led the Commercial Real Estate Equity and Advisory franchise at Standard Chartered Bank. Before Standard Chartered Bank, Martin was Head of Southeast Asia Real Estate Investment Banking and Corporate Finance at UBS Investment Bank.
Martin is a board member of the Capital Markets and Financial Advisory Services (CMFAS) Examinations Board in Singapore. He holds a Master of Philosophy in Finance from Cambridge University. He is a Malaysian Commonwealth Scholar, a Fellow of the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, and the Institute of Banking and Finance Singapore Fellow in Corporate Finance. He was recognized as the Best Investment Banker in Singapore by FinanceAsia in 2023.
Speaker
Rick Santos
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Santos Knight Frank
Rick Santos
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Santos Knight Frank
Rick Santos is the Chairman, CEO and Founder of Santos Knight Frank (an affiliate of Knight Frank, the largest privately owned global real estate consultancy, with more than 500 offices in 60 countries across the globe including a strategically important partnership with Cresa in the United States). Santos Knight Frank was the country’s first fully integrated real estate service provider.
Rick was born in the Philippines (his father is from Zamboanga) and raised in San Marino, California, USA. His education covered UC Berkeley, the London School of Economics and Oxford University. A post graduate thesis on the “Spatial Implications of Information Technology on Office Location Theory” gave him his passion for the real estate sector and, in particular, the global impact of the outsourcing revolution.
Rick established the CBRE business in Manila in 1994 as the country’s first fully integrated real estate service provider. He served as Managing Director of CBRE Hong Kong, was a member of the CBRE Asia & Asia Pacific Board and the Head of Institutional Investment Properties for Asia. He was the link partner to the emerging market countries of India, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.
In 2017, he established a long-term partnership with Knight Frank and rebranded his 1,400- strong organization as “Santos Knight Frank”. The business today consists of 11 specialist teams focusing on: Occupier Services & Commercial Agency; Facilities Management; Property Management; Asset Management; Project Management; Technical Services and Engineering; Residential Sales & Leasing; Investment & Capital Markets; Research & Consultancy; Valuation Services and Group Business Services.
Rick and his team were instrumental in the growth of the Business Processing Outsourcing sector and were pioneers in bringing many of the multinational BPO and offshoring companies to the country.
Santos Knight Frank is responsible for more than 4 million sqm of office space transactions, including the largest office leasing deal in Philippine real estate history (70,000 sqm), and over 20 million sqm of assets under its property and facilities management teams.
Santos Knight Frank has represented Fortune 500 companies and major occupiers including P&G, Accenture, Chevron, American Express, AIG, Citi, Unilever, IBM, Emerson, Standard Chartered, Siemens, Oracle, AT&T, Google, Bank of America, ING, Nokia, and Sony, among others.
He is an advocate of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) as a way of democratizing real estate, having supported the passing of the REIT law in the Philippines.
He serves and has held roles on numerous corporate and non-profit boards including YPO Philippines (former chapter chair), Philippine Rugby Football Union (past- president), the American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (board member and 3-term former president), International School Manila, CoreNet Philippines, and the Asia Pacific Real Estate Association, among others.
The industry is being transformed by cutting-edge technologies, compelling stakeholders to strategically integrate digital solutions. This imperative fosters operational efficiency, optimizes decision-making processes, and positions the industry to navigate the evolving landscape with agility.
Speaker
Bernie Devine
Senior Regional Director, Asia Pacific Sales
Yardi Systems, Inc.
Bernie Devine
Senior Regional Director, Asia Pacific Sales
Yardi Systems, Inc.
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.
Favorable prospects for real estate investment and development in the Philippines underscore the potential for capturing opportunities within a diversified REIT portfolio. With robust growth in market values and rental revenues for commercial properties, strategic investments in this dynamic market can contribute to sustained returns and portfolio resilience.
Panelist
Atty. Timothy Joseph Mendoza
President & CEO
Premiere Island Power REIT Corporation
Atty. Timothy Joseph Mendoza
President & CEO
Premiere Island Power REIT Corporation
TJ Mendoza serves as the General Counsel of Prime Asset Ventures, Inc. (PAVI) and Corporate Secretary of all PAVI group companies and concurrently, as President and CEO of Premiere Island Power Reit Corporation (PREIT). As PAVI General Counsel, TJ leads a legal team composed of 12 diverse and seasoned corporate finance and infrastructure law practitioners who provide expert legal services for strategic initiatives of PAVI and its operating subsidiaries.
Prior to joining PAVI in 2020, TJ Mendoza was a corporate banking and finance partner in Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos (2014 to 2017) and Quisumbing Torres (a member firm of Baker McKenzie International). At Quisumbing Torres, TJ likewise served as the head of the firm’s Banking and Finance Practice Group.
TJ has been widely cited as leading corporate and finance practitioner by various international publications, including Chambers & Partners, the Legal 500 and Asia law, and has a distinguished record of handling various corporate transactions and projects, including those in the energy and infrastructure space and other highly regulated sectors. For the years 2018, 2019 and 2020, TJ was ranked as a Leading Lawyer for Banking and Finance by the Chambers and Partners Asia-Pacific. In 2020, he was also ranked as a leading lawyer for Corporate and Finance by the Chambers and partners Global and a Rising Star for Banking and Financial Services by the AsiaLaw Leading lawyers I the A-list Top 100 Lawyers in the Philippines by the Asian Business Law Journal.
TJ is a Professional Lecturer at the De La Salle University Tañada-Diokno College of Law and a member of the advisory committee at the manila Central University.
Panelist
Carol Mills
President & Chief Executive Officer
AREIT Inc.
Carol Mills
President & Chief Executive Officer
AREIT Inc.
CAROL TORRES - MILLS is Vice President of Ayala Land Inc. and President & CEO of AREIT Inc., the first Real Estate Investment Trust in the Philippines.
AREIT was listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange last August 2020 and has since grown its assets under management from 30 to 87 billion pesos to-date. AREIT has been the fastest growing REIT in the Philippines with a gross building leasable area of 860 thousand square meters across 25 properties nationwide. It is a constituent of the FTSE Micro-cap Index, the FTSE EPRA NAREIT ex-Japan Index, the MSCI Philippine Small Cap Index and the PSE Index. Since its IPO, the company received eight international accolades, including the Most Outstanding IPO in the Philippines by Asiamoney, The Best IPO in the Philippines by The Asset, Southeast Asia deal of the Year by FinanceAsia, Best Premiere Real Estate Investment Trust, Most Innovative REIT Offering Strategies by International Finance, Best Office REIT and Best Diversified REIT by Asia Pacific Best of Breeds REIT Awards in Singapore.
Concurrent to AREIT, Carol heads Ayala Land Offices, the office leasing and development arm of Ayala Land since 2013. Ayala Land Offices owns and manages 1.4 million square meters of leasable space across 63 office properties in the Philippines. Prior to this role, she headed the Business and Project Development for Ayala Malls from 2008 to 2013. She has been with Ayala Land for 25 years holding various board positions in several Ayala Land property and subsidiary companies.
Carol holds a Masters in Business Administration from The Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of the Philippines Diliman with a degree in Business Administration.
Moderator
Christian Bernasconi
Co-Founder, Managing Director
B&I Capital
Christian Bernasconi
Co-Founder, Managing Director
B&I Capital
Mr. Christian Bernasconi is a Founding Partner of B&I Capital AG and is based in Singapore where he acts a group co-CIO and head of the research office. Christian has over 27 years of experience as an Asian and Japanese equities specialist and has been based in Switzerland and Singapore over his career. Prior to co-founding B&I Capital in 2007, Christian was an Executive Director at UBS and established the Japan and Asian Equity Sales platform and was part of the Global Real Estate (RE) Team in Zurich. Before joining UBS in 2000, Christian was with W.I. Carr Far East Limited, Paribas Asia Equity and Yamaichi Securities. He received a Bachelors degree in Political Economy of Industrial Societies at the University of California at Berkeley.
Headquartered in Zurich with a research office in Singapore, B&I Capital AG was founded in 2007 by Christian Bernasconi and Charles Isaac to give qualified investors a means to invest in Asian listed Real Estate, predominantly the nascent Asian REIT market. At that time REITs were an emerging asset class in developed equity markets such as Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong, and a more mature REIT market in Australia. B&I Capital is well regarded as an active investor that engages with the managements of the companies it invests in to encourage best practice and is also an active member of APREA which promotes the development of the listed Asian Real Estate sector. Currently B&I Capital employs 15 people and manages USD >1bn worth of assets and is licensed both in Switzerland by FINMA and in Singapore as a CMS License holder by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
Climate change is climate business, and IFC has invested and mobilized $50.7 billion dollars’ worth of climate finance since 2018. As the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector, IFC knows climate investing. This session dives into how IFC’s own EDGE certification empowers REITs to enhance their ESG reporting and effectively communicate their sustainability commitment to investors:
Speaker
Angelo Tan
Country Lead – Pacific, Philippines & Malaysia, Climate Business Department
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Angelo Tan
Country Lead – Pacific, Philippines & Malaysia, Climate Business Department
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Angelo Tan serves as the Country Lead for the Philippines, Malaysia, and the Pacific for Climate Business at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank, and the largest global development finance institution focused on the private sector.
Based in Manila, Angelo’s mission is to inspire and empower property developers, financial institutions, and the public sector in the region to raise their climate ambitions and embrace a sustainable vision for the built environment—one that is resilient, low carbon, and committed to achieving net zero.
By mainstreaming Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE) and Building Resilience Index (BRI), programs that promote climate change mitigation and adaptation in buildings, Angelo supports mobilization of private capital for climate-smart property investments, toward creating impact for countries most vulnerable to climate change.
Angelo has over 10 years of real estate experience in mixed-use development management, commercial real estate advisory, and architecture business development. He is an industrial engineer and holds a Master of Sustainable Built Environment from UNSW Sydney.
The hospitality sector is experiencing a positive resurgence, with hotels gaining momentum through government initiatives and a notable increase in tourist arrivals. This optimistic recovery underscores the resilience of the hospitality industry, positioning it as a hotspot for strategic investments and growth opportunities.
Speaker
Jesper Palmqvist
Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific
STR
Jesper Palmqvist
Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific
STR
Jesper Palmqvist is based in Singapore and as Senior Director he leads STR in Asia Pacific since 2013. His career spans across hospitality, online travel, IT and music. Originally from Sweden, he frequently presents the latest trends and updates at industry events and media outlets.
STR, a CoStar Group company [NASDAQ: CSGP], tracks daily historic and future supply and demand data as well as monthly financial data for the hospitality industry and provide valuable market share analysis for global hotel and investment companies and agencies across the globe.
APREA is committed to making our events more environmentally responsible. We work closely with our event partners, venues, and suppliers to embed sustainability into the way we plan and execute our gatherings across the region. Our goal is to continually reduce our environmental footprint and promote responsible practices across the real assets industry.
Our key sustainability measures in our events include:
Through these steps, we aim to make every APREA event a reflection of our broader commitment to a more responsible and resilient industry.
Kemmu Kawai joined Longevity Partners Japan in September 2022 as the Country Director. Based in Tokyo, he oversees all operations and activities in Japan, the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. He brings him more than 16 years of experience in finance where he specialised in real estate and credit investments. Before joining Longevity Partners, he served as a Portfolio Manager at Norinchukin Bank and as Investment Manager at Center Point Development.
Kemmu Kawai
Managing Director
Longevity Partners