Global real estate firm Hines has made three key hires; United Overseas Bank’s former senior vice-president Pauline Sim has joined Singapore fintech startup Sleek; investment major Capital Group has appointed Rob Hardy as corporate governance director.
Hines bolsters Japan, Korea presence with three key hires
International real estate firm Hines has made three key hires as part of a move to strengthen its presence in Japan and South Korea, according to a statement.
Drew Huffman, managing director and 10-year veteran at Hines, will oversee the new business initiatives in the two countries.
Joining the team are Hyungsub Lee, a director, in the Seoul office, and Sho Morita, an associate in the Tokyo office, both of whom are relatively new to the firm. More hiring is underway in both countries with additional acquisition and development personnel expected to join in 2021.
Huffman joined Hines in 2011 and relocated to Tokyo from Hong Kong in early 2020. He has been a key member responsible for the acquisition and disposition of more than 30 assets exceeding 8 million square feet.
Lee, former head of transactions with DWS Korea, joined Hines in 2021 and brings more than 12 years of Korean real estate experience with him. Meanwhile, Morita joined Hines in 2020 after more than eight years with Hulic, one of Japan’s largest real estate companies.
Since opening the Seoul and Tokyo offices in 2013 and 2017 respectively, Hines has increased headcount to seven in the two countries. The team is expected to nearly double by year-end as the offices increase their focus on development and acquisitions in their respective economies.
Hines entered the Asia Pacific Region in China in 1996 and has expanded to 15 cities across Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea and Singapore, with $4.2 billion of assets under management.
Former UOB vice-president joins SG fintech firm Sleek
United Overseas Bank’s former senior vice-president of the fintech, ecosystem and innovation division Pauline Sim has joined Singapore fintech startup Sleek as head of fintech and strategic partnerships.
In the new role, Sim will overlook the development of financial services and digital solutions at Sleek. Through its AI-driven customer platform and automations, Sim will be leading the company’s new business verticals expansion projects.
The role will also build upon the ease and simplicity that Sleek’s services and platforms have established to ensure that business owners can focus on what matters most — their business.
Sim started her banking career serving the SME segment of United Overseas Bank (UOB), covering all aspects of banking and financing requirements that SMEs have in UOB and Standard Chartered Bank.
In 2015, she was part of the team that set up The FinLab, a joint venture between UOB Ltd and SGInnovate, to accelerate fintech startups from all over the world, and subsequently helping SMEs to digitalise, and innovate with the adoption of innovative tech solutions.
In November last year, Sleek raised $4 million from investors led by SEEDS Capital, the investment arm of Enterprise Singapore.
Capital Group appoints corporate governance director
Global investment company Capital Group has appointed Rob Hardy as its corporate governance director and member of the firm’s ESG leadership team. Hardy joined Capital Group in February and will be based in London.
Hardy has over 25 years of industry experience and was most recently head of Investment Stewardship for the EMEA region at JP Morgan Asset Management, where he led the formulation and oversight of the firm’s ESG strategy and public policy.
Prior to joining JP Morgan in 1996, Hardy was a corporate governance and proxy voting specialist at Phillips & Drew Fund Management.
Capital Group is one of the oldest and largest asset management companies in the world, managing multi-asset, equity and fixed income investment strategies for different types of investors. The firm manages more than $2.3 trillion in long-term assets for investors around the world.
