- New Chairman and Board members take on three-year term on the SMU Advisory Board for Real Estate Programme
- Four Real Estate Track students received Mapletree Awards in recognition of their excellent academic performance and participation in Real Estate study trips and internships
SINGAPORE – Mapletree Investments (“Mapletree” or “the Group”) and Singapore Management University (“SMU”) are pleased to jointly announce new appointment holders of the SMU Advisory Board for the Real Estate Programme, which provides industry insights into evolving industry trends and strategic inputs for SMU’s Real Estate Track including the curriculum and research initiatives. The 11-member Board comprises members who are esteemed leaders in the fields of real estate, tax, investment, finance and law, and have taken on a new three-year term starting from 15 November 2020.
Mapletree’s Group Chief Financial Officer, Ms Wendy Koh, has assumed chairmanship of the Advisory Board, with SMU’s Dean of Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Professor Gerard George, continuing as Vice Chairman. She succeeds Mr Wong Mun Hoong, Mapletree’s Regional Chief Executive Officer, Australia & North Asia who completed his three-year term. Two new members have been appointed to the Advisory Board, namely, Mr Michael Ngu, CEO, Architects 61; and Ms Priya Kini, Managing Director and Head of Global Banking, Singapore, HSBC. Mr Vincent Koo, Managing Director, DCA Architects; and Mrs Eng-Kwok Seat Moey, MD and Head (Capital Markets), DBS, have stepped down from the Board with the expiry of their terms. Please refer to Additional Notes 1 for the full list of members.
In addition, Mapletree and SMU are also pleased to announce the recent recipients of the Mapletree Awards for Academic Year (AY) 2019-2020 from the SMU Real Estate Track. The Mapletree Awards, valued at $8,000 each, aim to motivate undergraduate students from the Real Estate Track who have achieved excellent academic results and demonstrated strong interest and aptitude in real estate investments and finance through participation in Real Estate study trips and internships. Seven Mapletree Awards have been presented to-date.
The four recent Award recipients are:
- Chew Ying Ting, Year 2, School of Economics
- Bryan Yeo Chai Liang, Year 3, School of Economics
- Brandan Koh Yee Swee, Year 3, Lee Kong Chian School of Business; and
- Shawn Low XueXun, Year 4, Lee Kong Chian School of Business.
Mr Hiew Yoon Khong, Mapletree Group Chief Executive Officer, said, “Since education is one of the four key pillars of Mapletree’s corporate social responsibility programme, we are encouraged by this second batch of students and hope to motivate them to strive for further academic excellence through the Mapletree Awards. We would also like to thank the outgoing Chairman and members of the Advisory Board for their counsel, industry insights and support which has made the Programme a success.”
The Advisory Board was set up in 2017 in conjunction with the launch of the Mapletree Real Estate Programme, established with a $3 million endowed donation.
Professor Gerard George, Dean of SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business and Vice Chairman of the Advisory Board for Real Estate Programme, said, “We are pleased to continually co-create with industry partners a real estate finance specialisation that caters to the sector’s talent needs. With multi-disciplinary expertise and training in the latest sector-specific knowledge and skills, I’m confident that graduates of the SMU Real Estate Track will be highly sought after by the industry. In Mapletree, we have found a like-minded partner with a passion for developing real estate leaders, and we look forward to deepening our collaboration. Special appreciation also goes to the outgoing Advisory Board members for their invaluable contribution.”
The Mapletree Real Estate Programme also supports real estate study trips (which have enabled some 64 students to learn from the industry in China, Vietnam and South Korea) and speaker events such as the Mapletree Annual Lectures1 and Mapletree-SMU Real Estate Forum2.
Footnote:
1More information on the Mapletree Annual Lecture can be found in the following links:
- Inaugural Mapletree Annual Lecture (26 November 2018)
- Second Mapletree Annual Lecture (31 October 2019)
2More information on the Inaugural Mapletree-SMU Real Estate Forum can be found in the links below:
First Virtual Real Estate Forum (31 October 2020)
Inaugural Mapletree-SMU Real Estate Forum (21 February 2019)
MEDIA CONTACTS
ABOUT MAPLETREE
Mapletree is a leading real estate development, investment, capital and property management company headquartered in Singapore. Its strategic focus is to invest in markets and real estate sectors with good growth potential. By combining its key strengths, the Group has established a track record of award-winning projects, and delivers consistent and high returns across real estate asset classes.
As at 31 March 2020, Mapletree owns and manages S$60.5 billion of office, retail, logistics, industrial, data centre, residential, and lodging properties. The Group manages four Singapore-listed real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and six private equity real estate funds, which hold a diverse portfolio of assets in Asia Pacific, Europe, the United Kingdom (“UK”) and the United States (“US”).
The Group’s assets are located across 13 markets globally, namely Singapore, Australia, Canada, China, Europe, Hong Kong SAR, India, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, the UK, the US and Vietnam. To support its global operations, Mapletree has established an extensive network of offices in these countries.
For more information, please visit www.mapletree.com.sg.
ABOUT SINGAPORE MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY (SMU)
A premier university in Asia, the Singapore Management University (SMU) is internationally recognised for its world-class research and distinguished teaching. Established in 2000, SMU’s mission is to generate leading-edge research with global impact and to produce broad-based, creative and entrepreneurial leaders for the knowledge-based economy. SMU’s education is known for its highly interactive, collaborative and project-based approach to learning
Home to over 11,000 students across undergraduate, postgraduate professional and post-graduate research programmes, SMU comprises six schools: School of Accountancy, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, School of Economics, School of Computing and Information Systems, School of Law, and School of Social Sciences. SMU offers a wide range of bachelors’, masters’ and PhD degree programmes in the disciplinary areas associated with the six schools, as well as in multidisciplinary combinations of these areas.
SMU emphasises rigorous, high-impact, multi- and interdisciplinary research that addresses Asian issues of global relevance. SMU faculty members collaborate with leading international researchers and universities around the world, as well as with partners in the business community and public sector. SMU’s city campus is a modern facility located in the heart of downtown Singapore, fostering strategic linkages with business, government and the wider community. www.smu.edu.sg
Additional Notes 1
SMU Advisory Board for Real Estate Programme
| 1. Ms Wendy Koh (Chairman) | Group Chief Financial Officer, Mapletree InvestmentsFormer Co-head, Asia-Pacific Property Research, Citi Investment Research |
| 2. Prof Gerard George (Vice Chairman) | Dean, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, SMULee Kong Chian Chair Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, SMU |
| 3. Mr Pok Soy Yoong (Member) | Retired Ernst & Young Tax PartnerFormer Board Member of IRAS |
| 4. Mr Ng Lang (Member) | CEO, Land Transport AuthorityFormer CEO of Jurong Town Corporation, Urban Redevelopment Authority and of National Parks Board |
| 5. Mr Wen Khai Meng (Member) | Senior Adviser of Group Strategy, Capitaland GroupFormer CEO of Capitaland Singapore |
| 6. Ms Lock Yin Mei (Member) | Partner, Allen & Overy SingaporeFormer Board Member, Singapore Land Authority |
| 7. Mrs Penny Goh (Member) | Senior Adviser of Allen & Gledhill SingaporeIndependent Director of Keppel Corporation Ltd |
| 8. Prof Francis Koh (Member) | Professor Emeritus of Finance (Practice), SMUIndependent Non-Executive Director of Manulife US REIT |
| 9. Mr Michael Ngu (Member) | CEO, Architects 61 |
| 10. Ms Priya Kini (Member) | Managing Director and Head of Global Banking, Singapore, HSBC |
| 11. Mr Wan Kwong Weng (Member & Secretary) | Group Chief Corporate Officer, Mapletree Investments |
*Appointment for Chairman and Board members is for a three-year term from 15 November 2020
to 14 November 2023 for all, except for Mr Michael Ngu and Ms Priya Kini whose terms will be from
1 January 2021 to 31 December 2023.
Additional Notes 2
About the SMU Real Estate Track
To develop a pipeline of real estate investment talent to fuel the growing and evolving sector, SMU began offering the Real Estate Track in AY2018 to all SMU undergraduates who are majoring (first or second major) in Finance or Economics. Designed with industrial inputs, the course content leverages their foundation in finance and economics, and further equips undergraduates with specialised knowledge and multi-disciplinary expertise which are essential to tap the real estate market for investments in the region and beyond.
The curriculum is cross-disciplinary, comprising compulsory modules such as real estate economics, real estate investments & finance and real estate law; and other modules such as valuation and taxation, project financing, infrastructure finance, urban economics and policy, and real estate development. Academic courses are complemented with exposure to real-world business practices, case studies and experiential learning opportunities, such as speaker events, local and overseas internships, as well as local and overseas study trips, giving them the opportunity to apply their classroom knowledge in real life corporate case studies and access to mentors and resources.
The Real Estate Track will prepare students for diverse roles including real estate investment and development, advisory, leasing, financing; Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) management; investment banking; consulting and agency management. Graduates will be well-placed to take up positions in commercial and private banks, real estate consulting companies, real estate developers and REITs.
