Leadership Series

[08 Apr 26] Leadership lessons on building a global real estate company

OVERVIEW    

What does it take to build at scale in real estate?  Not just to develop projects, but to navigate policy shifts, capital cycles and market uncertainty across decades. This Leadership Series session unfolds in three parts, offering perspectives across different phases of growth.

Part 1: Pragmatic Leadership in Nation Building

Mr Liew reflects on leadership within the broader context of national development, examining how public policy, infrastructure planning and long-term capital allocation intersect. Real estate does not operate in isolation. It evolves within a national and regulatory framework that shapes opportunity and risk.

Part 2: Building CapitaLand into a Global Real Estate Leader

Drawing on his experience as founding CEO of CapitaLand, Mr Liew shares how strategic mergers, cross-border expansion and disciplined capital deployment transformed a local developer into a multi-market platform operating in over 20 countries. This segment examines leadership decisions made under uncertainty, and the patterns that emerged across property cycles.

Fireside Chat With Mr Liew Mun Leong, moderated by Mr Eugene Lim, CEO of The Assembly Place covering questions like:

• How seasoned leaders weigh bold expansion against conservative restraint and what tips the decision either way
•  The patterns behind industry cycles that only become clear in hindsight
• The one regret that left a lasting lesson
• The emerging red flags in today's Singapore real estate landscape

Complimentary book authored by Mr Liew Mun Leong for the 1st 50 signups

PROGRAM: Click Here

TOPICS COVERED

• Building Business from Ground Zero - Mr Eugene Lim, Founder & CEO, The Assembly Place
• Part 1: Pragmatic Leadership in Nation Building - Mr Liew Mun Leong, Founder and Principal Consultant, Building People Consultancy
• Part 2: Building CapitaLand into a Global Real Estate Leader - Mr Liew Mun Leong, Founder and Principal Consultant, Building People Consultancy

THIS SESSION IS DESIGNED TO SHARPEN STRATEGIC JUDGEMENT IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS

• Interpreting market cycles and distinguishing structural shifts from short‑term noise.
  
• Balancing bold expansion with disciplined capital allocation.
  
• Detecting early signals that herald inflection points in property markets.
  
• Managing cross‑border growth across varied regulatory and policy regimes.
  
• Maintaining organisational coherence while scaling into new markets.

TARGET AUDIENCES

• C-suite executives in property development firms
• Senior executives specializing in real estate investment and development
• Board members and decision-makers of family-owned enterprises
• Managing directors and senior leaders of scaling businesses overseas

SPEAKERS

Mr Liew Mun Leong, Founder and Principal Consultant, Building People Consultancy

Mr Liew started his 22 year long career in the public sector as an engineer building barracks and military infrastructure in the Ministry of Defence in 1972. He went on to work on the development of Changi Airport building air fields and terminal buildings for 17 years. He was also the CEO of 2 Statutory Boards - Singapore Institute of Standards and Industrial Research (SISIR) and National Science and Technology Board (NSTB), the forerunner of A*STAR. When he entered the private sector, he was in construction and real estate, heading L&M and was the founding group CEO of CapitaLand Group. 

He continued his corporate leadership as active Chairman of Changi Airport Group and founding Chairman of Surbana Jurong Group for 15 years. After his retirement as chairman of the 2 organisations in 2020, he formed his business management consultancy company “Building People Consultancy Pte Ltd” as its Principal Consultant till present.

Mr Eugene Lim, Founder & CEO, The Assembly Place

Eugene Lim is the Founder and CEO of The Assembly Place, Singapore’s leading co-living operator, which grew from 6 rooms in 2019 to over 3000 keys across more than 140 locations. With 15+ years in real estate, he previously led marketing and sales at Oxley Holdings, overseeing over 15 project launches. Earlier, at Knight Frank, Lim launched more than 35 projects and managed 300+ salespeople at HSR International. He holds a Business Management degree (University of London) and serves on boards for Arts House Limited, Singapore Athletics Association, and National Arts Council’s Advisory Panel. He was awarded Asia Property Award’s Rising Star in 2023.

STRATEGIC ANNUAL SPONSOR

KNOWLEDGE PARTNER

SUPPORTING PARTNERS

Terms & Conditions

Request for withdrawal must be made in writing. We encourage particpants to nominate a replacement for the session. Refund requests are subject to approval on the following conditions: 

• Requests sent in at least 2 weeks before commencement: 50% of course fee refunded.
• Requests sent in less than 2 weeks before commencement: No refund, full course fee payable.

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