CDL Deputy Chief Executive Officer and CDL China Limited (CDL China) Chairman Mr Sherman Kwek was recognised with the Asia Top Entrepreneurs Awards for Promising Business Leader. The award was presented by Fortune Times, an established Singapore-based Chinese financial magazine focussing on equity, real estate and employment topics in Singapore, Southeast Asia and Greater China.  

Mr Kwek played an instrumental role in CDL China’s growth. Since it was established in 2010, CDL China has made a total of more than RMB 2.5 billion of acquisitions in China. It has acquired four projects in Chongqing, Shanghai and Suzhou comprising over 500,000 square metres of gross floor area in total. Its largest project is the 300,000 square metre Hong Leong City Center (HLCC) in the heart of Suzhou Industrial Park. The mixed-use development comprises luxurious residences, premium Grade A office space, a five-star hotel, a shopping mall and China’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum serviced apartments. With its successful launch, HLCC emerged as the top selling project in Suzhou for 2015. In 2016, CDL China created a new business platform by acquiring a stake in mamahome, one of China’s fastest growing online apartment rental platforms.

As part of CDL’s strategic diversification, Mr Kwek drove major acquisitions in Japan and Australia. In 2014, CDL acquired its first residential site in Japan for around US$300 million. The rare 16,815 square metre parcel is located within the prestigious Shirokane district in Tokyo’s Minato ward. In 2016, CDL further acquired a stake in a prime residential project in Aoyama, also in Minato ward.

CDL also re-entered Australia’s residential sector in 2015 through a joint venture project in Brisbane’s highly sought after South Bank precinct.

Prior to joining CDL, Mr Kwek held various executive management roles in companies both within CDL’s parent company, Hong Leong Group, and in multinational corporations. He has over 15 years of international experience in the areas of investments, mergers and acquisitions, real estate and hospitality, and has worked in New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore.