• Mapletree–SMU Real Estate Forum is part of the Mapletree Real Estate Programme at Singapore Management University (SMU); as a platform to share trends and cross-disciplinary knowledge to navigate the growing real estate sector in Singapore and globally
• Audience poll reveals that more than 60% feels that co-working will not end up with the same fate as bike-sharing

SINGAPORE – Mapletree Investments (“Mapletree”) is pleased to announce that the inaugural Mapletree-SMU Real Estate Forum, titled “Insights into the Real Estate Sharing Economy” was successfully held on 21 February and attended by an audience of more than 110 comprising SMU students, industry professionals and members of the public at the Singapore Management University (“SMU”).

Professor Francis Koh, Mapletree Professor of Real Estate and SMU Professor of Finance, welcomed the audience to the Forum that aims to provide a platform for industry practitioners, subject experts and tertiary students to share trends and cross-disciplinary knowledge.

The rise and rapid expansion of sharing economy into the real estate industry provided a timely and relevant backdrop for the Forum’s presentations and panel discussion with the following invited speakers:
• Ms Christine Li, Senior Director and Head of Singapore Research Services, Cushman & Wakefield
• Mr Benjamin Ng, Head, CoQoons Singapore
• Ms Sabrina Poon, Director and Producer, The Bruh Collective
• Mr Zenos Schmickrath, Co-founder, CXO and Chairman, Hmlet

Each speaker provided insights on co-working and co-living spaces with their own experiences, from the perspectives of the landlord, tenant as well as operator. The audience was also polled on questions. To the online poll question “Will co-working end up with the same fate as bike-sharing?”, more than 60% felt it will not.

The Mapletree-SMU Real Estate Forum follows the inaugural Mapletree Annual Lecture that was held in November 2018^[1] which garnered more than 250 attendees. The Annual Lecture is a high-key event that aims to provide a platform for private-public-academic discourse on real estate-related topics and the next Annual Lecture is scheduled to be held in November 2019.

The partnership between SMU and Mapletree dates back to 2013 and continues further with a second endowed gift of S$3 million to SMU in 2017. With 1:1 government matching, the total sum of S$6 million has enabled the launch of a multi-faceted partnership in January 2018 named the ‘Mapletree Real Estate Programme^[2]’.

This partnership is the first of its kind in the real estate sector and has enabled SMU to establish: (i) the Mapletree Professorship in Real Estate; (ii) Mapletree Awards for talented students taking the SMU Real Estate Track; (iii) Mapletree Real Estate Business Study Trip Grants that support local and overseas field trips; and (iv) Speaker Events to engage the industry and broader community in real-estate-related topics.

Besides the inaugural Mapletree Annual Lecture and the Mapletree-SMU Real Estate Forum, the gift has also made possible an overseas study trip to Shanghai and Hangzhou, China, for 26 students from 7 – 13 October 2018, which was supported by the Mapletree Real Estate Business Study Trip Grant. The next Study Trip to Vietnam is being planned for May 2019.

Selected photos from the Mapletree-SMU Real Estate Forum as below (high-res here)
Photo credit: Please use ‘SMU’ or ‘Singapore Management University’.

(From L-R) Panellists: 
• Mr Zenos Schmickrath, Co-founder, CXO and Chairman, Hmlet
• Ms Sabrina Poon, Director and Producer, The Bruh Collective
• Mr Benjamin Ng, Head, CoQoons Singapore
• Ms Christine Li, Senior Director and Head of Singapore Research Services, Cushman & Wakefield
• Ms Maryam Ali Reda, Moderator and SMU Real Estate Track Student

(From L-R) 
• Mr Zenos Schmickrath, Co-founder, CXO and Chairman, Hmlet
• Ms Sabrina Poon, Director and Producer, The Bruh Collective
• Ms Christine Li, Senior Director and Head of Singapore Research Services, Cushman & Wakefield
• Mr Wong Mun Hoong, Group Chief Financial Officer, Mapletree Investments and Chairman of the SMU Real Estate Advisory Board
• Mr Benjamin Ng, Head, CoQoons Singapore
• Ms Maryam Ali Reda, Moderator and SMU Real Estate Track Student

(From L-R):

• Mr Quek Fu Jin, President, SMU Real Estate and Alternative Investment Alumni Group
• Mr Zenos Schmickrath, Co-founder, CXO and Chairman, Hmlet
• Mr Benjamin Ng, Head, CoQoons Singapore
• Ms Sabrina Poon, Director and Producer, The Bruh Collective
• Mr Wong Mun Hoong, Mapletree Group Chief Financial Officer and Chairman of SMU Real Estate Advisory Board
• Ms Christine Li, Senior Director and Head of Singapore Research Services, Cushman & Wakefield
• Ms Maryam Ali Reda, Moderator and SMU Real Estate Track Student
• Mr Chua Tiow Chye, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer, Mapletree Investments
• Mr Wan Kwong Weng, Chief Corporate Officer, Mapletree Investments
• Prof Francis Koh, Mapletree Professor of Real Estate and SMU Professor of Finance
• Prof Gerard George, Dean of Lee Kong Chian School of Business, SMU 

​[1] More information on the inaugural Mapletree Annual Lecture can be found in this press release: http://www.mapletree.com.sg/en/Media/News/2018/November/Inaugural%20Mapletree%20Annual%20Lecture.aspx
[2] Information about the Mapletree Real Estate Programme can be found in this press release: http://www.mapletree.com.sg/en/Media/News/2018/January/Mapletree%20Real%20Estate%20Programme.aspx