APREA Roundtable Series: From ESG to Sustainability and Natural Capital 

A sustainability practitioner for over two decades, Esther published the first sustainability report in Singapore in 2008 and issued the first green bond by a Singapore company in 2017. Conferred the 2018 SDG Pioneer for Green Infrastructure and A Low Carbon Economy by the UN Global Compact, and named amongst 25 Trailblazing Women against Climate Change by Reuters in 2023 as well as the inaugural TIME100 Climate Leaders in Business 2023 list, Esther sits on the boards or advisory platforms of international organizations including:

• World Economic Forum Nature-Positive Cities Global Commission
• World Green Building Council Corporate Advisory Board Chairperson
• Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures
• UN PRI Real Estate Advisory Committee
• UN ESCAP Sustainable Business Network Executive Council
• Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Supervisory Board
• Urban Land Institute (ULI) Randall Lewis Center Advisory Board for Sustainability in Real Estate and ULI Asia Pacific Net Zero Council
• Asia Pacific Real Assets Association (APREA) Board of Directors and Chair of ESG Committee
• GRESB Foundation Board

She founded Women4Green and Youth4Climate networks to empower women and youths to champion climate action and sustainable development.

Peng Er is Vice President for Group Sustainability at CapitaLand Investment (CLI), a leading global real estate manager with a strong Asia foothold. Its diversified real estate asset classes cover retail, office, lodging, business parks, industrial, logistics, self-storage and data centres.  Her work experience includes sustainability management, disclosure and assurance, environment, health and safety management, corporate marketing, media and event management, policy formulation and market development. She has been a panelist and speaker at various sustainability related events, speaking on topics ranging from the business case of sustainability, greening existing buildings, climate scenario analysis, external assurance gender diversity and parity, to social returns on investments.

She works closely with the business units and corporate teams in CapitaLand Investment to implement the CapitaLand Investment 2030 Sustainability Master Plan, which includes targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

She spearheads the publication of CLI’s externally assured Global Sustainability Report, providing transparency to CLI’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy and performance. She also CLI’s performance is regularly benchmarked against international standards and frameworks, such as ISSB, TCFD, GRI, UNGC, SDG, etc.

Peng Er is a member of the REITAS Sustainability Taskforce and Singapore Sustainable Finance Association (SSFA) Transition Finance Workstream. She was previously a member of the SBTi Expert Advisory Group for Buildings, GRESB Asian Benchmark Committee, an elected board member of the Singapore Green Building Council (2010-2021) and the Workplace Safety and Health Council’s Construction & Landscape Committee.

Cheryl leads the business development for S&P Global Sustainable1 in Singapore and Malaysia. She specializes in working with Banks, Asset Managers, Private Equity and REIT clients on Financed Emissions, Climate Risk Stress Testing, Nature Risk Assessments and ISSB aligned sustainability reporting.

Prior to joining S&P, Cheryl was with Morningstar - Sustainalytics and was responsible for the market development of the Second Party Opinions business in Hong Kong and ASEAN region and has provided technical guidance on some of the region’s landmark transactions. Cheryl started her career in corporate banking with HSBC Global Banking covering large real estate names in Hong Kong and has experience in credit risk management, loan negotiations, bond issuances, corporate finance and ratings.

Cheryl holds a B.A., in Business Management from Durham University and is a GARP certified Sustainability & Climate Risk (SCR) professional. 

David is the Senior Executive Director, Head of ESG Consulting & Sustainability Services for CBRE in Singapore and across APAC. Prior to taking on this important assignment, David held the roles of Senior Executive Managing Director, Property Management in the United Kingdom, Managing Director, Asset Services, Singapore & Southeast Asia, and Regional Director, Asset Services, Pacific. In each role over his career, David led the Sustainability business within the Asset Services & Property Management business lines. Prior to joining CBRE, David led Investment Property Management for Knight Frank in Australia.

His strengths are driving excellent client outcomes through strong leadership, strategy development and execution, galvanizing teams through implementing positive change management and continuous improvement initiatives.

David is a passionate advocate for creating an environment where people thrive, building communities and connections, integrating technology, sustainability, and people to help shape the future of the workplace and real estate.

As Head of ESG Consulting & Sustainability Services, David works with CBRE’s Investor and Occupier clients across APAC delivering on ESG Strategy, Net Zero Decarbonisation, Sustainability Reporting, GRESB, Circular Economy and Green, WELL and Smart Building Certifications. He has been recognised and respected in the industry for his leadership and is passionate about the Environment and Sustainability and building successful high performing teams.

Following the acquisition of Paia Consulting, to become Paia FROM CBRE, the Singapore hub regional team has grown to 27 professionals, with a further 74 + professionals across the wider APAC region.

David is a member of the CBRE Global Sustainability Committee. He holds an MBA from Southern Cross University and is a fellow of RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) and sits on the RICS Global Standards & Regulation board.

David is a member of the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP), the Institute of Environmental Management Assessment (IEMA) where is he is a registered Environmental practitioner (REnvP). David is also a Certified Environmental Impact Assessment Manager (CEIA) and Certified Carbon Management Leader (CCML). David is a member of the APREA APAC Sustainability Committee, the Australian Singapore Chamber of Commerce Green Committee, The British Chamber of Commerce Sustainability Committee, the Mckinsey Net Zero Global Committee and the ULI (Urban Land Institute) Sustainability Committee and is the CBRE member representative on the Singapore Green Building Council.

Charmaine develops and implements comprehensive ESG strategies for a diverse portfolio of clients, including those in real estate, technology, and healthcare. Her core expertise involves guiding companies through the complex sustainability landscape, from conducting materiality assessments and climate risk analysis to ensuring robust reporting aligned with global standards like GRI, SASB, IFRS S1 and S2. She has extensive technical experience, including developing GHG inventories and data analytics.

This strategic work is informed and enhanced by her academic background in Environmental Biology. This foundation provides a scientifically-grounded approach, allowing her to offer a unique perspective on integrating emerging topics like biodiversity and nature-related financial disclosures (TNFD) into wider corporate frameworks. Charmaine aims to help organisations practically embed nature-positive actions within their existing climate goals, risk management processes, and overall ESG reporting strategy, ensuring a coherent and impactful approach to sustainability.

Melia is a Consultant in Paia from CBRE with a background in Life Sciences, specialisation in Environmental Biology and minor in aquatic ecology. Melia aspires to drive the environmental impacts to Paia's work as a sustainability agency. She hopes to bring forth new perspectives through her experiences with research projects in microplastic studies and biodiversity surveys.

Melia graduated from the Bachelor of Science with an Honor's in Life Sciences at National University of Singapore in July 2022. Prior to joining Paia as a consultant, Melia worked with Worldwide Fund for Nature Singapore (WWF) as a corporate partnerships intern, focused on facilitating and engaging corporates who were interested in finding out more about impact and dependencies on nature and biodiversity.

Since joining the company in early 2023, Melia has engaged in the various service lines in Paia, with a focus on the following:

• Sustainability strategy and disclosure according to international standards (i.e. GRI 2021 Standards, SASB Sector Standards, etc)
• Climate risks and opportunities assessment & disclosure (i.e. TCFD)
• ESG Ratings (i.e. GRESB submissions)
• ESG data management (including analysis and quality control)
• GHG accounting and inventory consolidation
• Materiality assessment and stakeholder engagement
• ESG policy drafting
• Customised training sessions for clients

Her clients operate in a range of industries, from real estate, data centers, urban development to maritime. Leveraging a broad and diverse client base, Melia has cultivated insights into both peer and industry landscapes, enhancing her contributions at Paia and delivering added value to her clients. She is experienced with various reporting standards and keeps abreast of the regulatory reporting landscape to ensure her clients are aligning to reporting best practices.