Savills IM hires Pearce to head asset management in Asia

Savills Investment Management (Savills IM), the London-based real estate investment management business of property services firm Savills, has appointed Craig Pearce as head of asset management for Asia.

Based in Hong Kong, Pearce will be responsible for asset management in the island-city and China, with an oversight role across the rest of Asia, which he will be doing along with Yew-Hock Tan in Singapore.

Pearce joins Savills Investment Management from Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing, where he was an executive director based in Hong Kong and oversaw the asset management of a portfolio of institutional grade real estate investments in Greater China and Southeast Asia. He has also previously worked with Goldman Sachs Realty based in Tokyo, and started his career working in the overseas property division of Mori Building, the Japanese property company.

“We are delighted to welcome Craig to the firm. He has substantial experience in many of our core sectors across Asia and will add strength and depth to the team. Craig joins at an exciting time in our development as our recent completion of SEB Asset Management significantly strengthens our presence in Asia and positions us as one of the leading investment managers in the region,” said Kiran Patel, chief investment officer at Savills IM.

Pearce added: “I am excited to be joining Savills IM and working with the firm’s team of talented investment professionals. With a high quality investment platform and well respected brand, the firm is ideally placed for growth and I look forward to assisting with the expansion of its investment footprint across Asia.”

The appointment comes less than a month after the official completion of the firm’s takeover of the Europe and Asia-focused real estate investment manager SEB Asset Management for up to €21.5 million in cash. With the acquisition, Savills IM now has €2 billion in assets under management in Asia.