Contributors

Alex Leung

Alex Leung is the Chief Surveyor of CHFT Advisory and Appraisal Limited and member of HKIS and RICS. He worked in a Fortune 500 real estate consulting firm for 20 years and was the head of Hong Kong Valuation Team since January 2012 until he left the company in 2015.  He mainly handles real estate and business valuations in various countries within APAC.

Chester Leung

Chester Leung is a registered surveyor (GP), MHKIS (The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors) and holds Estate Agent License (Estate Agent Authority). He is Director of the Innovative Property Sales & Marketing Division at CHFT with over 10 years of property sector experience. In 2016, he launched a proprietary app, OneHouse.hk, which provided matching services among owners, buyers and real estate agents.

Dion

Adrian Tan is helping companies drive productivity with PeopleStrong, a comprehensive HR solution on the cloud with mobile simplicity. The co-creator of Singapore HR Tech market map, he also writes regularly on HR Tech at adriantan.com.sg.

Jacky Cheng

VICE PRESIDENT // DIRECTOR OF PROJECT DEVELOPMENT, ASIA PACIFIC

Jacky Cheng began his career with The Jerde Partnership in 2001. Having contributed his design efforts for years at the Los Angeles headquarters office, he has attained and cultivated a host of unique professional skills and practice to provide for the firm. Through comprehensive stages, types, and magnitudes of projects, he has experienced a diverse range of design, from Japan’s largest privately developed mixed-use project Roppongi Hills, to Hong Kong’s most significant urban redevelopment project Langham Place. Jacky was relocated to the Hong Kong office as a design manager in 2004, where he has since been responsible for facilitating design ideas, communication, and management with teams in Los Angeles and local clients. Jacky is a vital member of Jerde and an experienced professional in
the industry. His current focus is the Asia Pacific business development, execution of projects in the Region, and the operations of Singapore office.

John Howald

An accomplished leader in real estate cross-border investments and advisory, John brings a wealth of knowledge, expertise and track record from over 15 years of successfully securing investment opportunities and divesting large scale assets and portfolios for global capital.

John is the Executive Director, Head of International Capital across Asia Pacific for the Capital Markets & Investment Services business at Colliers. In this role, he is responsible for growing cross border investment activity from Asia Pacific in collaboration with the global capital markets teams. He leads international client relationship development and provides real estate investment and divestment advice, including origination and completion of investment transactions with global capital sources.

Prior to Colliers, John led Jones Lang LaSalle’s International Investment team in Japan, focusing on cross-border investment and structuring advice for direct real estate transactions and equity raises. John had previously worked as a real estate, hospitality and M&A advisor for a global consultancy in Tokyo and New York, as well as at a US-based developer.

Marc Anley and Kalyani Vasan

Marc Anley

Marc Anley is Deloitte Southeast Asia’s Forensic Leader. He specialises in the Financial Services Industry and advises clients on risk and regulatory matters. He has worked extensively on financial crime related projects, including large anti-money laundering and financial crime reviews. Marc was recently involved in the campaign between Deloitte Southeast Asia and South Africa to combat financial crime in wildlife trafficking.

Kalyani Vasan

Kalyani Vasan is the Financial Crime Compliance Leader for Deloitte Southeast Asia. She specialises in providing financial crime compliance advice and support to banks, payment service providers, digital banks, and virtual asset service providers in the Southeast Asian region. Kalyani has extensive experience designing and implementing enterprise-wide and product risk assessment frameworks, drafting and implementing financial crime compliance policies and procedures, as well as process mapping and re-engineering in financial institutions.

Simon Green and Reem Al Mahroos

Simon Green, International Partner

Simon's main areas of expertise are large scale mixed-use development and redevelopment projects, real estate investment (both commercial and residential property) as well as real estate management and finance (conventional and Islamic). Simon also has a significant hotels & hospitality practice.

Simon is an International Partner and leads Charles Russell Speechlys focus in Asia from their Hong Kong office. Simon is also the Head of Real Estate and Hotels & Hospitality across Asia and the Middle East.

Reem Al Mahroos, Senior Associate
Reem advises on all aspects of commercial real estate as well as hotels and hospitality.

Reem has over 10 years of real estate experience both on-the-ground in the Middle East and internationally. Having previously worked as in-house counsel to a prominent real estate developer in Bahrain, she brings significant commercial and practical experience from the client side to private practice. Reem specialises in large to medium scale community developments and complex strata projects which comprise multiple and/or mixed-use components. She also has significant experience advising on retail and commercial leases including malls, offices and speciality leasing concepts.

Stella Law

Stella is the Chief Operating Officer of Fonto Holdings limited and is currently acting as Entrepreneur In Residence (E.I.R.) at CHFT Advisory & Appraisal Ltd (“CHFT”). Stella runs the advisory and appraisal business of the firm in providing consultancy and  valuation with over 15 years’ experience in the industry, and she has expensive experience in all phase of M&A activities. In 2019, Stella was selected as a rising star by the Rising Star Committee of American Society of Appraisers. Prior founding her own company, she was leading the business valuation department of an S&P 500 company and also founded the valuation department for a Top-10 international audit firm. Her expertise is on valuation of intangible assets especially on trademarks and patents.

William Forwood

As the founder and Group CEO of Merx, William Forwood has responsibility for running Merx's global project management office operations. William established Merx in Singapore in 2001 and has led its successful and steady growth throughout Asia into Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Macau and Myanmar. With over 25 years’ experience within the fields of property, client consulting, project management, procurement and construction management, William runs Merx and manages projects at the most senior level by engaging with heads of companies.