APREA Virtual Roadshow – Voice of Real Estate - Session 2 | Multifamily / Rental Housing Trends and Outlook

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.

Nicole is based in Hong Kong and has been with Lennar (US's largest and most profitable homebuilder) since 2017 with a primary focus on assisting Asian institutional investors and partners to invest into the US within the Lennar ecosystem. Since summer of 2021, she joined LMC (Lennar Multifamily Communities), one of the largest vertically integrated Multifamily developers and managers in the US with over $9bn AUM.   Prior to joining Lennar Nicole had over 13 years’ experience in London and Hong Kong working in Investment Banking and Asset management businesses, specializing in the Alternatives Investment space including sectors such as Real Estate, Private Equity and Specialist Debt.

Mahdi joined PATRIZIA in January 2020 as Head of Investment Strategy and Research, overseeing PATRIZIA’s investment strategies, research and performance analytics. He works closely with the CIO in crafting PATRIZIA’s House View and serves on PATRIZIA’s Investment and Executive Committees.

Previously, Mahdi worked at LaSalle as Board Member where he led the European strategy and research team and served on LaSalle’s Debt & Special Situations and private equity real estate investment committees. Mahdi held leading roles at AEW, MSCI IPD, ESSEC Business School, and Caisse des Dépôts. He is also a regular keynote speaker.

Mahdi holds a Ph.D. in Economics and Finance from EHESS (France), a Masters in Financial Economics of Dauphine University, and is an active member MSCI IPD, INREV, EPRA and the RICS.

Conal has over 15 years specialist experience in operational real estate including student accommodation, coliving and multifamily in Australia and the UK.  He moved to Australia at the start of 2013 after having worked in the UK from 2004 to the end of 2012 and before that having started his career in New Zealand.  He has extensive knowledge in valuation and advisory and a strong record of accomplishment in transactions having successfully sold and acquired 20,000 beds across the UK, Australia and New Zealand with a combined total price of over AUD $3.5 billion.

Conal is a Registered Valuer (UK and New Zealand) and a Certified Practicing Valuer (Australia).  He holds Real Estate sales qualifications in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

In the UK Conal acted for a large number of universities and private sector clients providing formal valuation advice.  Some of Conal’s major clients included Unite Group Plc and Universities Partnerships Programme (UPP). 

Conal has worked for the majority of the top Australian private sector operators and provided valuation advice on an asset and portfolio basis to clients.  He also has advised a number of universities including the University of Sydney, UNSW, UTS, Macquarie University, The University of Melbourne, RMIT, Deakin University, the University of Queensland and QUT.

His UK transaction experience includes successfully completing deals comprising 10,000 bedrooms with total combined project finance value of over £550 million.  In Australia, he acted on behalf of Transfield Group on the sale of RMIT Village in Melbourne, the first large-scale off-campus operational student accommodation property offered to the market in Australia.  The sale completed in February 2014 for $60 million.  Most recently he was joint sales team lead on the Urbanest Australia Student Accommodation Portfolio transaction in 2019 comprising over 7,400 beds across 15 assets that settled in May 2020 for over AUD $2.1 billion.

Rahul started his entrepreneurial journey in 1994 as a fresh computer engineering graduate from SGSITS Indore. Under his mentorship the company soon became the goto place for challenging problems that needed innovative use of technology. While he was busy solving customer problems, India found its place as worlds Backoffice and IT outsourcing.

Rahul’s dream was to do something to change the perception of India from being mere provider of IT manpower to one that could deliver best in class technology products something that’s been dominated by the western world.

To fulfil this dream, Rahul created DigiValet™ in 2009 something that would change the in room experience in hotel rooms forever. Today after 11 years DigiValet is most admired product in hospitality serving some of the iconic hotels worldwide. Having found its place for DigiValet, Rahul steered the company to creating solutions for serviced residences & hospitals that would once again change the user experiences at such places. 

A keen adventurer at heart, Rahul has interests that range from white water rafting, riding the rapids in the Himalayan foothills of Nepal, to trekking in the mountains or scuba diving in the clear blue waters in the Great Barrier Reef. His wife, Rachana Salgia is a partner in the business, bringing in the strength of management vision and inclusion in the organisation.

With its principal office in India, DigiValet has presence in all key markets. USA, UK, Singapore, China, UAE, & Australia.

Angela leads Mirvac’s Build to Rent BTR (Multi-Family) function, generating strategic direction for business activities and continuing growth of the business towards a medium term target of 5,000 apartments. She oversees the Australian Build to Rent Club (ABTRC) and future third party capital relationships for Mirvac in this sector, being accountable for the financial performance of each project. Mirvac is positioned as Australia’s market leader and a first mover in BTR through end-to-end acquisition, development and long term ownership of quality designed properties, specifically with renters in mind. This includes managing properties through Mirvac’s operating platform, LIV, which seeks to generate ongoing, long-term sources of income through a unique rental experience which is resident focused, providing significant amenities and services. Mirvac officially opened its first BTR asset, LIV Indigo, (315 apartments) in Sydney Olympic Park in September 2020. The current BTR pipeline has a further four projects encompassing 1,800 apartments in Melbourne and Brisbane to be delivered between 2022 and 2025.

Angela has been with Mirvac for more than seven years, with her most recent role as General Manager, Capital Transactions. She is an accomplished real estate professional and leader with strategic, executional and operational experience across retail, industrial, office and mixed-use asset classes. Angela has led cross-functional teams through a multi-billion- dollar portfolio of acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures and new business development projects, alongside establishment of investment strategies and business transformation projects.

Angela holds a Bachelor of Business Management (Real Estate & Development) from the University of Queensland and commenced her property career as a valuer.

Danny Phuan joined Allianz Real Estate in 2019 and heads up the acquisitions team for the Asia-Pacific region and is concurrently the Head of China. Danny brings with him more than 25 years of diverse regional investment experience.

Prior to joining the company, he was the Chief Investment Officer for North Asia at Keppel Capital / Alpha Investment Partners. During his 15 years tenure at Keppel Capital / Alpha, Danny has participated and led real estate transactions across the region including Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong and China.

In Allianz Real Estate, Danny has led the acquisitions team to invest more than USD 2.5 billion in real estate transactions in Japan, Australia, China, Singapore and other parts of Asia Pacific. The main areas of focus for Allianz Real Estate include direct and indirect private real estate equity investments, as well as senior lending across key markets such as Japan, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, China, India and Southeast Asia.

Danny graduated from the National University of Singapore and has a bachelor degree in Real Estate.

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.