Asia Pacific Investors’ Connection Forum

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.

Dr Chua Yang Liang is Head of Group Research & Strategy, where he is responsible for monitoring, evaluating and forecasting the macroeconomic environment as well as major real estate markets globally. Through his analysis of the macro and micro market trends, Dr Chua provides research advice and market intelligence to support the Group’s business decision-making and strategy formulation.

Prior to joining ARA, Dr Chua led the Southeast Asia research teams at Jones Lang LaSalle for over 10 years. His responsibilities included forecasting property markets, conducting market and development advisory, and providing commentaries to clients and the media on matters relating to property and urban policy issues. Dr Chua began his career in physical and strategic planning at the Urban Redevelopment Authority in Singapore.

Dr Chua holds a Bachelor of Science (Estate Management) (First Class Honours) from the National University of Singapore and a Master of City Planning and a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, USA. He is also an Adjunct Researcher with the Center for Liveable Cities, Ministry of National Development.

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.

Stuart Mercier is a Managing Director and Country Head for China, overseeing all of Brookfield’s operations and institutional relationships. Mr. Mercier also has direct responsibility for Brookfield’s Real Estate activities across Asia including business development, investment and portfolio management.

Mr. Mercier joined Brookfield in Hong Kong in 2012 before relocating to Shanghai to establish Brookfield’s mainland Chinese operations. Prior to joining Brookfield, Mr. Mercier held various investment roles within a boutique Asian real estate investment and advisory firm. He also held various positions at Oxford Properties, the global real estate platform of the OMERS pension fund.

Mr. Mercier received a BA from Bishop’s University and an MBA in Finance from the University of Hong Kong and London Business School, where he was the recipient of the Haitong Securities “New Generation of Leaders” scholarship. Mr. Mercier serves on the board of the Canada China Business Council and is a Global Governing Trustee of the Urban Land Institute.

Stuart Mercier 司徒默
董事总经理，房地产 | 中国区负责人
Stuart Mercier（司徒默）先生是博枫资产管理公司的董事总经理兼中国区负责人，主要负责管
理中国区运营工作和机构关系。Mercier 先生同时也直接负责博枫房地产在亚洲的相关业务，包
括商务发展，投资以及资产组合管理。
Mercier 先生于2012 年在中国香港加入博枫，之后来到中国大陆负责建立和开展业务。在加入
博枫前，Mercier 先生在一家亚洲精品房地产投资咨询公司内担任过多个投资岗位。他也曾在牛
津资产担任过多个职位。牛津资产是OMERS 养老金计划的全球地产投资平台。
Mercier 先生拥有Bishop 大学文学学士学位和香港大学以及伦敦商学院的MBA 金融学学位，并
获得海通证券提供的“新一代领导者”奖学金。Mercier 先生是加中贸易理事会的董事会成员，
同时担任城市土地学会全球理事

Mr. Chiaranussati has successfully led SC Capital Partners in its investments and provided key leadership and direction since its inception.

Prior to founding SC Capital Partners at the end of 2004, Mr. Chiaranussati spent approximately six years with Westbrook Partners, where he opened its Asia office in Singapore in early 1999 and served as Principal and Managing Director responsible for Asian investment activities. Prior to joining Westbrook, Mr. Chiaranussati spent seven years at JPMorgan, based in Singapore and covering Southeast Asia, serving as a Vice President in the Proprietary Investment and Investment Banking groups, focusing on real estate and financial institutions. Prior to JPMorgan, Mr. Chiaranussati worked at Temasek Holdings, an investment holding company for the Government of Singapore, and the Central Bank of Thailand. In 1998, Mr. Chiaranussati was appointed as an advisor by the Central Bank of Thailand and other bodies to assist in the restructuring of the public and private sectors of Thailand.

Mr. Chiaranussati received an Honors Degree in Economics from the London School of Economics in 1986 and a Master of Science in Management Science at the Imperial College in London in 1987.

Brian has been working in the growth markets of Asia for over two decades. He joined Actis in 2018 through the sale of Standard Chartered Bank’s Principal Finance Real Estate group, a business he founded in 2010. Under his leadership, this business invested over USD 1 billion in opportunistic real estate throughout China, Korea, India and Southeast Asia. The business was successful in forming over 20 joint venture partnerships with high quality partners throughout its markets.Brian has been working in the growth markets of Asia for over two decades. He joined Actis in 2018 through the sale of Standard Chartered Bank’s Principal Finance Real Estate group, a business he founded in 2010. Under his leadership, this business invested over USD 1 billion in opportunistic real estate throughout China, Korea, India and Southeast Asia. The business was successful in forming over 20 joint venture partnerships with high quality partners throughout its markets.

Before joining Standard Chartered Bank, Brian spent sixteen years at RREEF, the real estate investment management arm of Deutsche Bank, almost all of the time based in Asia. Brian started his career with Bankers Trust’s real estate banking group based in New York. He holds a degree in economics from Georgetown University.

Brian manages Actis’ real estate investing in Asia, including an opportunistic real estate fund and related special managed accounts.

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.

Alex Edmans is Professor of Finance at London Business School. Alex has a PhD from MIT as a Fulbright Scholar, and was previously a tenured professor at Wharton and an investment banker at Morgan Stanley. Alex has spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos, testified in the UK Parliament, and given the TED talk “What to Trust in a Post-Truth World” and the TEDx talk “The Social Responsibility of Business” with a combined 2.3 million views. He serves as Mercers School Memorial Professor of Business at Gresham College, giving a four-year programme of lectures to the public, and on Royal London Asset Management’s Responsible Investment Advisory Committee. Alex’s book, “Grow the Pie: How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit”, was featured in the Financial Times list of Business Books of the Year for 2020. He has been named to Poets and Quants Best 40 Professors Under 40 and Thinkers50 Radar.