APREA Japan 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.

From 2015 to 2023, he served as the President & CEO of Sumisho Realty Management, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation, and expanded its AUM to over ¥700 billion. He diversified the firm's investments in structures such as SOSiLA Logistic REIT(publicly-traded) and SC Realty Private REIT(privately-placed) alongside a broad spectrum of separate accounts.

Earlier, at Sumitomo Corporation, he held pivotal roles and managed a comprehensive real estate portfolio in both Japan and the US, encompassing residential, commercial, and logistics sectors.

From 2024 to April 2025, he served as Director and Head of Strategic Business Division at ES-CON Japan. He is currently with Fortress Investment Group, where he is engaged in J-REIT related operations.

He graduated from Kyoto University in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in architecture. Also, he is a licensed architect in Japan, an esteemed ARES Certified Master, APREA Board Member/Japan Chapter Chairperson and RICS Japan, MEG Co-chairperson (FRICS).

Mr. Takehiko Nakao is currently Adviser, Sumitomo Corporation and Chairman, Center for International Economy and Strategy.

He is also an executive board member (external) of the Daiichi Life Insurance, Ltd.

Concurrently, he teaches as Visiting Professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) and Graduate School of Public Policy, the University of Tokyo.

He is a member of the Trilateral Commission, Board of Governors of Asian Institute of Management (Manila), the Japan Corporate Governance Network, and several other international and Japanese non-profit organizations.

Before assuming the current job on August 1, 2024, he was Chairman of the Institute at Mizuho Research & Technologies, Ltd.

From April 2013 to January 2020, Mr. Nakao served as President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which is based in Manila with membership of 68 countries including 46 regional developing countries.

Mr. Nakao was the Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs between 2011 and 2013, and in charge of foreign exchange markets, G20 and G7 processes, ASEAN+3 financial cooperation, and bilateral financial relations with the US, Asian, and others.

Mr. Nakao has gained extensive experience in international finance, budget, tax policy, and financial market since he joined the Ministry of Finance in 1978. He was assigned as Minister at the Embassy of Japan in Washington D.C. between 2005 and 2007, and worked as advisor at IMF's Policy Development and Review Department between 1994 and 1997.

He has published books and numerous papers on financial and economic issues both in Japanese and English.

His memoir “The Rise of Asia: Perspectives and Beyond” covering his ADB days as well as those of Vice Minister was published by ADB in July 2022 (available on ADB HP). He also took an initiative and was a lead editor for “Asia’s Journey to Prosperity: Policy, Market, and Technology over 50 Years”, published by ADB in January 2020 (available on ADB HP).

Mr. Nakao holds a BA degree in Economics from the University of Tokyo (1978) and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California-Berkeley (1982).

Richard is the CEO of Capital Markets at JLL. He oversees all investment transactions, Investment Banking and Corporate Finance services globally.

His chief ambition is to help investors optimize their exposure to real estate through innovative investment models, world class investment advice and the creative application of technology.

Richard is a member of the JLL Global Executive Board. In addition to his Capital Markets responsibilities he is also the Global Executive Board sponsor for the firm’s Hotel & Hospitality, Valuations and Research activities

Prior to his current responsibilities Richard was the Head of the EMEA Capital Markets business and member of the EMEA Management Board.

Richard has studied at Stanford Graduate School of Business (Senior Executive Program 2017), the University of Exeter and London South Bank University.

Katsuyuki Victor Mineta has more than 35 years of global and institutional real estate investment, development and management experience where 17 years from Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company, 4 years from AMB Property (current Prologis) in Japan as its Representative Director and an Advisory Committee member, and 14 years from KIC group companies. He currently serves as Founder & CEO of KIC Holdings, Inc. and its affiliate companies. He is also a council member of Japan Association of Logistics Property Appraisal and chairman of Self Storage Securitization Association (Japan). He holds bachelor’s degree in commerce accounting from Chuo University in Tokyo, Japan and participated Center for Real Estate at MIT in Boston and Executive master’s in finance at Baruch College in New York.

Nori oversees AirTrunk’s Japan business and expansion plans, as well as the company’s local partnerships.

Nori joined AirTrunk from Mapletree Japan and held leadership positions in real estate development and investment at PwC, Deutsche Bank and GE Capital.

Shai is the head of JLL's Japan Capital Markets - International Capital where he covers the firm’s strategic clients and international institutions investing in, or looking to invest/divest in Japan.

Prior to that, Shai was a Senior Vice President at GENKAI Capital Management- a Japanese Asset and Fund Management Firm where he was investing throughout the capital stack in commercial real estate in Japan, South Asia and the US.

Shai Started his real estate career at a New York Investment Bank where he was involved in, well over, 12$US Billion in CRE debt and equity transactions.

Upon returning to Japan, Shai joined global advisory firm where he pursued tenant representation, land acquisitions, equity raise, portfolio management and investment sales opportunities.

In addition, Shai is an adjunct professor at Temple University and previously at New York University.

Shai is PhD candidate at Tokyo City University and holds a master’s degree in real estate finance & Investment from New York University and a BA in Management & East Asian Studies (graduated Magna Cum Laude) from Tel Aviv University.

Shai is a New York licensed real estate salesperson (inactive)

Kenji Utsumi is a partner at Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu and recognized as a leading lawyer in Real Estate practice at various legal awards. He has advised clients, as their main legal counsel, on large real estate transactions, several of which are awarded as the Real Estate Deal of the Year Award, Asian Legal Business, Japan Law Awards for years 2019, 2018, 2017, 2009, and 2008. Mr. Utsumi regularly counsels a number of TSE and SGX listed REIT clients as well as real estate private equity funds on a wide range of matters including formation, public offerings, M&A and restructuring of REITs and real estate private equity funds. Mr. Utsumi has substantial experience with respect to real estate private equity funds and has represented fund arrangers, fund investors, lenders and tenants, and was recently informed that he is known as “the lawyer who has assisted his clients in acquiring the largest amount of real estates in Japan.”

• Mari joined the firm in 2017.
• She began her career at a Big 4 firm, where she focused on tax structuring in real estate investment in Japan and tax due diligence work for corporate reorganizations
• Immediately prior to joining the firm, Mari led the fund accounting team of a global real estate fund management company in Tokyo for 11 years. She managed tax and accounting projects involving European and Asian domiciled funds, private equity and publicly listed J-REIT investment in domestic real estate
• Her career includes tenure as the accounting and tax manager of an American entertainment streaming company during the launch of its business in Japan
• Since joining the firm in 2017, Mari has specialized in tax advisory and consultation services for cross-border transactions and tax structuring for real estate investment
• Mari has together with EY Singapore, advised on various acquisitions and IPO by Singapore based listed groups for Japanese real estate company, S-REITs and private funds on their acquisition of Japanese real estate related assets.
• Mari worked for various real estate tax structuring advisory for a prominent US, Australia, Singapore, Luxembourg and Germany based real estate funds
• Mari worked for buy-side tax structuring and tax due diligence on real estate and renewable energy assets holding companies in Japan for a large real estate and infrastructure funds
• Mari worked for Japanese investors (e.g., a government related fund, a trust bank) for their outbound real estate investments
• Certified Public Tax Accountant (Japan)
• Languages: Japanese and English

Chenhui Xia is a managing director of Garbe Capital & Strategy Asia and opened GARBE’s first Asian office in Singapore in 2024. His focus in APAC is currently capital raising for GARBE’s European portfolio.

He has 17 years’ experience in the real estate industry spanning banking, investment and fund management, capital formation and investor relations.

Jim Garvey is the Portfolio Manager for LaSalle Property Fund, the firm’s open-ended flagship US core fund and also the largest commingled fund managed by the company. Before his current role, Jim served as co-head of Acquisitions, where he oversaw greater than $10 billion in direct acquisitions and joint venture investments. Before joining the Acquisitions group, he served as a Portfolio Manager, managing a separate account that included both direct ownership and joint venture interests.

Prior to joining LaSalle in 1993, Jim was a Partner with Hamilton Partners, a regional real estate development firm headquartered in Chicago. He also worked in leasing and development for the Trammell Crow Company.

Jim earned his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a BSBA in Finance from John Carroll University. He is a member of both Urban Land Institute and Pension Real Estate Association and is CFA registered.

Kara Capital 21 is a real estate consultancy in Singapore. Kara Capital helps real estate investors to identify relevant real estate investment managers globally for specific real estate strategies.

Their network of investors in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei include pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, savings institutions, real estate developers, insurance companies, real estate funds and large corporates. 

Kara Capital has helped real estate investors deploy USD300 million via real estate investment managers globally since their inception.

Nazmi Camalxaman, a Malaysian, founded Kara Capital in 2021.

Prior to Kara Capital, Nazmi was a real estate banker in Singapore for over 11 years where he gradually developed his network of real estate investors across South East Asia. 

Rodney Fung joined Ivanhoé Cambridge (CDPQ) in 2016 and is Managing Director, Asia- Pacific for CDPQ Real Estate Group. He is responsible for the Portfolio Management and Asset Management as well as strategic relationships across the investments in Asia-Pacific.

Prior to this, Rodney was an Associate Director at Goodman Group responsible for the Goodman Hong Kong Logistics Fund and Goodman SEA venture. He also held positions in China private equity real estate and previously at Macquarie Group in various fund management roles in Sydney and Hong Kong, covering unlisted and listed investments across multiple sectors in Australia, North America and Asia. 

Varun is currently the Head of Capital Markets, APAC at Anarock, a leading real estate services company focused on the Indian market. Specifically, Anarock Capital provides specialised advisory services, fundraising capabilities, and tools for portfolio optimization to help navigate intricate real estate transactions.

Varun formerly served as the co-lead and Head of Business Development of Varsity Group Asia Pacific (“VGAP”), an alternative investment manager focusing on Real Estate. Varun formerly served as the Head of Real (Private) Assets in Asia Pacific for Morgan Stanley Capital International (“MSCI”). He led MSCI’s efforts in client organization, overseeing sales, relationship management, client services as well as new product development in the Private Assets space. Prior to MSCI, Varun served as Head of Sector Coverage and Acquisition Finance in Real Estate (ex-Japan) at Mitsubishi UFJ Bank. He has also held senior roles at Standard Chartered Bank in Asia.

Hironobu Nakamura is the Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Solar Asset Management K.K. (CSAM), where he leads the management of Canadian Solar Infrastructure Fund, Inc. (TSE: 9284), Japan’s largest listed infrastructure fund dedicated to solar energy. He is responsible for overseeing a portfolio of utility-scale solar assets and ensuring long-term value creation and sustainability for investors.

With over 20 years of experience in the infrastructure sector, Mr. Nakamura has built a strong track record in renewable energy investment, project finance, and institutional asset management. Prior to joining CSAM, he served as Chief Investment Officer at Asset Management One Alternative Investments, where he led the firm’s alternative investment platform, focusing on infrastructure debt strategies for both domestic and international institutional clients.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Nakamura worked at a leading Japanese megabank, where he was involved in global project finance, supporting large-scale energy and infrastructure developments across Asia, the Americas, and the Middle East. His expertise includes fund structuring, cross-border deal execution, and ESG-integrated investment practices.

Mr. Nakamura is recognized for his leadership in advancing Japan’s energy transition and his commitment to building resilient, sustainable infrastructure platforms that align the interests of investors, communities, and the environment.

Kemmu joined Longevity Partners in September 2022. He heads all operations for Japan and Asia from our Tokyo office.

He has over 16 years of experience in finance, where he specializes in real estate investments and global credit investments. He helps sustain our growth and respond to our client’s needs whilst managing the delivery of all our sustainability services.

Professional Experience

• Apr. 2025 - present  - Operating Officer, General Manager Sustainable Business Promotion Department
  Mizuho Financial Group, Inc.
  (concurrently Mizuho Bank, Ltd.)
•  Apr. 2024 - Operating Officer, General Manager
  Project Finance Department
  Mizuho Bank, Ltd.

• Apr. 2021 - General Manager
  Project Finance Department
  Mizuho Bank, Ltd.

• Apr. 2019 - Head of Asia Office (Singapore)
  Global Project Finance Department
  Mizuho Bank, Ltd.
• Jan. 2016 - Deputy General Manager,
  Global Project Finance Department
  Mizuho Bank, Ltd.

• Nov. 2009 - Asia Office (Hongkong)
  Global Structured Finance Department
  Mizuho Corporate Bank, Ltd.

• Aug. 2004 - Joined our group
  Project Finance Department
  Mizuho Corporate Bank, Ltd.

• Apr. 1995 - Joined Chiyoda Corporation

Education

• Jun. 2011 - MBA from Georgetown University
  in Washington DC, USA

• Mar. 1995 - Graduated from Seikei University
  B.A. in Economics

He began his career in April 1994 at Tokyu Land Corporation, where he was engaged in planning for detached housing products and custom-built housing businesses. After gaining experience through a secondment to a financial institution, he became involved in real estate investment businesses utilizing SPC.

In May 2005, he joined Diamond Realty Management Inc. (DREAM), where he took on responsibilities for private fund operations specializing in residentials, logistics facilities, data centers, and other asset types. Since July 2014, he has been overseeing all aspects of private REIT operations.

Currently, He serves as Executive Officer, Head of REIT Business Division, and Sustainability Executive Officer. He is responsible for managing the DREAM Private REIT and DREAM Hospitality REIT, while leading company-wide sustainability actions.

Horie is a co-founder of CSR Design Green Investment Advisory, Co., Ltd., which focuses on investment advisory and research on green building and sustainable finance. He also has 22 years' experience in finance – he has worked for IBJ and Merrill Lynch, and also served as Managing Director responsible for structured finance including carbon trading and renewable energy funds at Deutsche Bank. Horie is a graduate of The University of Tokyo's Faculty of Law, and obtained an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.

Horie served as a member of global Advisory Group of UNEP FI Property Working Group, and currently, he is a member of global Real Estate Advisory Committee of PRI, as well as serving as a member of Standards Committee of GRESB. He has also participated in many governmental committees on ESG organized by Japanese MLIT and other ministries as a member or chairperson.