Tricia Song, Linda Chern to join property consulting group CBRE

Singapore

CBRE is hiring Tricia Song as its head of research for South-east Asia and Linda Chern as head of residential services for Singapore.

Ms Chern joins the property consulting group on July 1. A 20-year verteran in the property industry specialising in the residential sector, she is moving from Knight Frank. At CBRE, she will spearhead the marketing of ultra-luxurious and high-end residential properties and projects - both on the sales and leasing fronts.

"High-end residential real estate is an intensely competitive and dynamic niche sector which has been bolstered by an influx of high net worth individuals and the growth of family offices," said Moray Armstrong, managing director of Singapore advisory services at CBRE.

"We have been impressed with Linda's stand-out track record and proven capability. I am confident that her wealth of experience will help drive our residential sales and lettings operations to even greater heights."

Ms Chern noted that the demand for luxe homes in Singapore has been on the ascent since late last year, "suggesting that the ultra-rich investors are back in action".

"Singapore has always been a favourite among well-heeled investors and wealthy overseas buyers for trophy residential assets such as penthouses and good class bungalows," she added.

CBRE had a nearly 300-strong associates arm, CBRE Realty Associates. In September 2018, under a strategic collaborative arrangement, these associates, who focused on the residential market, moved to ERA Realty Network.

However, CBRE retained a small core residential team to concentrate on the high-end segment and cater to the needs of corporate clients. Currently, this team has 13 members, all of whom will report to Ms Chern.

Ms Song is leaving her post of Singapore research head at Colliers International and joining CBRE on July 5. She has more than two decades' research experience for equity and commercial real estate markets.

At CBRE, she will replace Desmond Sim, who left the firm in May to join Edmund Tie & Company as deputy chief executive officer from June 1. He takes over from the firm's incumbent CEO, Ong Choon Fah, on July 1.

Before Ms Song joined Colliers in 2016, she had been with Barclays Investment Bank as lead equity analyst covering Asean real estate developers and Reits. Prior to that, she was with Credit Suisse and HSBC Global Banking and Markets.

She holds a bachelor of business studies degree from Nanyang Technological University, with a major in financial analysis and a minor in applied economics.

"Tricia's extensive experience in both public property equity and private commercial real estate research would ensure CBRE continues to build breadth and depth in our research platform regionwide with a client-centric focus," said Henry Chin, CBRE's global head of thought leadership and Asia-Pacific head of research.

Ms Song said that the Singapore commercial property market is on the cusp of a cyclical recovery in addition to a pandemic-accelerated structural transformation.

"We see exciting opportunities to rethink offices, reposition retail and repurpose industrial assets - underpinned by supportive government initiatives and an impending economy reopening. I look forward to working closely with Henry in partnering with the wider CBRE business on delivering thought leadership to clients."

Mr Armstrong said the appointments of Ms Song and Ms Chern will further strengthen CBRE's market-leading, end-to-end real estate services to clients. "We will continue to invest in the best talent in the industry."