Singapore – 1 October 2024. The Asia Pacific Real Assets Association (APREA) is pleased to announce the appointments of George Agethen, Head of Asia-Pacific, Real Estate at CDPQ and Esther An, Chief Sustainability Officer at City Developments Limited (CDL) as Independent Directors to the APREA Board of Directors.
John Lim, Chairman of APREA, commented on the appointments: “We pleased to welcome George Agethen and Esther An to the APREA Board. Their leadership in real assets industry, along with their forward-thinking approach, will be instrumental in driving the continued growth and innovation of APREA. We look forward to their invaluable contributions.”
Sigrid Zialcita, CEO of APREA, said: “George Agethen and Esther An are both highly respected leaders in their fields, and we are excited to have them on board. George’s extensive experience in cross-border investments and Esther’s commitment to sustainability align perfectly with APREA’s mission to advance and drive the future of the real assets industry. Their insights and leadership will help us navigate the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving market.”
George Agethen is the Head of Asia Pacific for real estate at CDPQ and is responsible for the investment and asset management strategies in the region. He is based in Singapore and leads the CDPQ’s real estate team located in Singapore, Mumbai and Sydney, and collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to establish and consolidate strategic partnerships for major projects being developed in the Asia-Pacific region.
George has extensive experience in the Asian real estate market. Before joining Ivanhoé Cambridge (the real estate group of CDPQ) in 2015, he held senior roles in leading organisations in the region across the investment banking, funds management and real estate investment fields.
George holds bachelor’s degrees in commerce and in law and a master’s degree in commerce, specializing in Finance, from University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. George is a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia and is a Jury Member for the MIPIM Asia Awards. Over the course of his career, George has lived in Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and China. He speaks fluent English, Mandarin and Cantonese.
A sustainability practitioner for over two decades, Esther published the first sustainability report in Singapore in 2008 and issued the first green bond by a Singapore company in 2017. Conferred the 2018 SDG Pioneer for Green Infrastructure and A Low Carbon Economy by the UN Global Compact, and named amongst 25 Trailblazing Women against Climate Change by Reuters in 2023 as well as the inaugural TIME100 Climate Leaders in Business 2023 list, Esther sits on the boards or advisory platforms of international organizations including:
- World Economic Forum Nature-Positive Cities Global Commission
- World Green Building Council Corporate Advisory Board Chairperson
- Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures
- UN PRI Real Estate Advisory Committee
- UN ESCAP Sustainable Business Network Executive Council
- Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Supervisory Board
- Urban Land Institute (ULI) Randall Lewis Center Advisory Board for Sustainability in Real Estate and ULI Asia Pacific Net Zero Council
- Asia Pacific Real Assets Association (APREA) Board of Directors and Chair of ESG Committee
- GRESB Foundation Board
She founded Women4Green and Youth4Climate networks to empower women and youths to champion climate action and sustainable development.
