Leading global thought and industry leaders convened at the ninth edition of the PropertyGuru Asia Real Estate Summit (ARES), a prominent thought leadership platform by PropertyGuru Group (NYSE: PGRU), Southeast Asia’s foremost property technology company. The summit centered around the theme “Powering Communities,” exploring how responsible leadership can contribute to the development and enhancement of future cities.
The highly anticipated ARES 2023 attracted over 400 delegates worldwide, facilitating an inspiring and insightful hybrid conference and event. Nearly 40 speakers engaged in vital discussions on the future of communities, business, leisure, and innovation.
This year’s theme of powering communities at ARES aligns with PropertyGuru Group’s vision to enable communities to live, work, and thrive in future cities. CEO Hari V. Krishnan highlighted this vision during the welcome keynote, coinciding with the 16th anniversary of PropertyGuru Group’s founding.
The summit centered around the theme “Powering Communities,” exploring how responsible leadership can contribute to the development and enhancement of future cities.
“As a responsible market leader, we strive towards empowering everyone in their property journey make confident property decisions through relevant content, actionable insights, and world-class service. From enabling homebuyers find and finance their dream homes, to helping expats find suitable accommodations, to supporting our enterprise clients make the right investments, to sharing authentic first party data with banks and valuers and to providing meaningful information to policymakers, we are there with each stakeholder, guiding them at every step of their way,” said Krishnan.
The event comprised three key segments: “Live: Future of Communities,” “Work: Future of Business,” and “Thrive: Future of Leisure.” Notable speakers included Sumana Rajarethnam, Director, South-East Asia, Economist Intelligence Corporate Network; Dr. Edlam Abera Yemeru, Chief of Knowledge and Innovation Branch at UN-Habitat; David Gissen, Author, Designer, Educator, Consultant / Professor of Architecture and Urban History, Parsons School of Design; and Chelsea Perino, Managing Director, Global Marketing & Communications, The Executive Centre.
The summit also featured engaging panel discussions, including a tech panel led by Manav Kamboj, CTO and Managing Director, Fintech at PropertyGuru Group, exploring A.I. in design, data, digital twins, and metaverse blockchain technologies. Speakers in this panel were, Jirayut “Topp” Srupsrisopa, Founder & Group CEO, Bitkub Capital Group Holdings Co., Ltd.; Prof. Jason Pomeroy, Founding Principal, Pomeroy Studio & Pomeroy Academy / Fellow, University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership; and Wenhui Lim, Director, SPARK Architects.
PropertyGuru For Business showcased its latest investments in data science for enterprise customers and partners in Southeast Asia, emphasizing the value for businesses in unlocking potential. The afternoon sessions covered diverse topics, including destination dining, the rise of pet culture, and demographic changes reshaping property markets.
PropertyGuru Group’s leaders, Jeremy Williams, Managing Director, Marketplaces, and Shyn Yee Ho-Strangas, Managing Director, Data and Software Solutions, commenced the session at ARES 2023, discussing business value. Dr. Nai Jia Lee, Head of Real Estate Intelligence, delved into urbanism and the liveability index, while Bob Koppes, Director of Strategies, presented on payment and mobility data analytics.
As a responsible market leader, we strive towards empowering everyone in their property journey make confident property decisions through relevant content, actionable insights, and world-class service.
Hari Krishnan, PropertyGuru Group, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director
In the afternoon, ARES 2023 explored the “Thrive: Future of Leisure” segment with a presentation by David Chong, COO of REHDA Institute, discussing affordability in megacities. The panel speakers included Dr. Aladdin D. Rillo, Senior Economic Advisor, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA); Amy Sawitta Lefevre, Former International Journalist (ex-Reuters); Christine Li, Head of Research, Asia Pacific, Knight Frank; Colin Chee, Creator & Creative Director, Never Too Small; Didi Almeyda, Author, Former Journalist & Indonesia’s Animal Whisperer; Jessica Zafra, Award-winning Author, Journalist, Animal Welfare Advocate; Keiran Gibb, Founder and Director, Monogic; Michelle Martin, Broadcaster & Talk Show Host, Money FM 89.3; Pippa Woodhead, Head of Podcasts, Tigerhall; and the husband-and-wife team of Tanjira “Fay” Tragoolvongse, Owner & Manager, Cadence by Dan Bark / Caper by Dan Bark, and Chef Dan Bark, who was awarded the Michelin Star for Cadence just after six months of opening.
Andrea Savage, Co-CEO of A Life By Design, and Cameron Richards, Founder & CEO, CPR Vision Management, delivered the Design Keynote. ARES Chairperson Stephen Oehme discussed sustainable development goals virtually from COP28 in Dubai.
ARES remains an inclusive and diverse event, with half of the expert lineup comprising women and/or members of the LGBTQ+ community. Shane Bhatla, Associate Director, Equal Asia Foundation, addressed inclusive language in real estate, concluding the third segment.
The summit’s last segment featured a keynote from India’s Vinu Daniel, Founder of Wallmakers. Recognized as one of TIME100 Next and delivering a TED2023 talk in April, Daniel received the PropertyGuru Visionary Award at ARES 2023 for his sustainable designs using mud and debris.
Colin Chee, the creator and founder of the popular web channel Never Too Small and last year’s Visionary Award winner, returned to the ARES stage to present a case study on interior design and featured preview clips from his ‘Wonderful Waste’ limited series.
The fourth segment featured The Leaders Panel discussing multi-sector real estate, industry resilience, and sustainable development challenges. Panelists included Cyndy Tan Jarabata, President of TAJARA Leisure and Hospitality Group; Hang Dang, Managing Director of CBRE Vietnam; Rita Chow, Founder & Chief Business Officer of Sunshine PR (China); Stephen Pimbley, Founding Partner & Director of SPARK Architects; and moderator Marco Lobregat, Asia Editor at Bridges / International Director at Synergy Media Specialists. Ornpaka (Tong) Vudhikosit, Senior Industry Manager (Travel, Real Estate, and eCommerce) at Google Thailand, concluded the fourth segment with an expert talk on the future of digital innovation.
The ARES VIP Cocktail Party celebrated ARES Power Women including Coco Liu, Chief Regional Officer, Asia Pacific, HLB International; Esther An, Chief Sustainability Officer, City Developments Limited / Chair, Corporate Advisory Board, World Green Building Council; Hang Dang, Managing Director, CBRE (Vietnam) Co., Ltd.; and Joanne Kua, Group CEO, KSK Group.
ARES 2023, a key event during PropertyGuru Week, gathered top executives and industry leaders. The week commenced with the Real Estate Leaders’ Roundtable on December 6, hosted by PropertyGuru For Business, followed by ARES 2023 and the ARES VIP Cocktail Party on December 7. Two exclusive galas on December 8 included the International Luncheon, presenting awards for China, Greater Niseko, and India, and the 18th PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards Grand Final, featuring winners from Southeast Asia, China, Japan, India, and Australia. The week concluded with a private screening of “Wonderful Waste” by Never Too Small at Cinema Oasis Bangkok.
PropertyGuru Asia Real Estate Summit 2023 is supported by official portal partner PropertyGuru; official magazine Property Report by PropertyGuru; official publicity partner Artemis Associates; media partners Bridges, d+a Magazine, Hot Magazine, Manila Bulletin, Powderlife, REm, and Techsauce; and supporting associations IFC – Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies, and REHDA Institute. The ARES VIP Cocktail Party was sponsored by PropertyGuru For Business, in collaboration with partners Dao Ethical Gifts (Women Empowerment Project) and Fah Mai Holdings Inc.
