Hisanori Ito - General Manager Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Research Institute Co., Ltd

Hisanori has over 20 years of analytic experience of real estate. He joined Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Research Institute (SMTRI) in 2008. He is covering overseas real estate market. Previously he oversaw Japan's real estate market, especially residential, retail and industrial.

Before joining SMTRI, Hisanori held management positions at Global Asset.

Prior to that, he worked for Ken Real Estate Investment Advisors as Senior Analyst in charge of real estate and residential fields. He advised Japanese institutional investors and real estate companies. He started his career with Nikko Securities. He holds a bachelor of Engineering from Kyushu University. He is an official member of The Securities Analysts Association of Japan and a licensed real estate broker.

Junichiro Muto – Director CBRE Japan

Junichiro is the head of CBRE Capital Advisors Asia Pacific's business in Japan. He has over 20 years' experience in the alternative investment management space. Before joining CBRE in 2014, he was the Japan Representative for Duet Alternative Investments. While there, Junichiro launched the Japan business and spearheaded private equity and hedge fund development and built relationships with Japanese pensions, banks and insurance companies. Before joining Duet, he was the Pacific Rim COO at Diamond Lake Investment Group. Previously he held senior roles in New York, London and Tokyo, including for Daiwa SMBC and The Sumitomo Bank.

He is a graduate of the University of Washington with a Bachelor's degree in economics and is fluent in Japanese and English.

Wee Hwee Teo - Partner, Real Estate Tax Leader, Fund Structuring & International Tax PWC

Wee Hwee graduated from the Nanyang Technological University with an Honours degree in Accountancy and has been with PwC for about 18 years. He currently heads up the real estate tax practice in PwC Singapore and focuses on fund structuring, REIT, Business Trust and tax minimisation strategies for real estate and infrastructure investments across Asia Pacific. He is also an Accredited Tax Advisor, the highest level of qualification issued by the Singapore Institute of Accredited Tax Professionals.

Wee Hwee has assisted many Singapore and foreign investors to structure their Singapore real estate investments (both asset and share deals) in a tax efficient manner across various asset classes, ranging from hotels, office, retail mall, residential to dormitories. Apart from Singapore, he has also extensive experience in advising acquisitions in Australia, India, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Myanmar, United States, United Kingdom, etc. His current portfolio consists mainly of real estate funds, real estate developers, family office, infrastructure funds, private equity funds, Business Trusts and REITs.

Wee Hwee liaises and meets up frequently with the Monetary Authority of Singapore to resolve tax issues for clients and incentive applications. Wee Hwee has also been working closely with the Singapore Exchange to promote REIT and Business Trust listings in Singapore, having recently embarked on a few road shows to Tokyo, Seoul , Mumbai and Hong Kong. Further, Wee Hwee actively participates as a presenter for workshops organised by the Asia Pacific Real Estate Association (APREA) and Real Estate Development Association of Singapore. He is also an instructor for the Certificate of Real Estate Investment Finance (CREIF), a course conducted by APREA and NUS Graduate Certificate in Real Estate conducted by the National University of Singapore.

Rio Minami - Head of RE Japan BlackRock Asia

Rio's service with the firm dates back to 2011, including his years with MGPA as Managing Director which was acquired by BlackRock in 2013. Prior to joining MGPA, he worked for The Carlyle Group as Managing Director. Rio was a global Partner and Japan Head of Carlyle Asia Real Estate Partners. He previously worked for Starwood Capital Group in the US as well as in Tokyo as Head of Starwood Capital Japan. He has 22 years of experience in real estate investment and fund management.

Rio has an MDes from Harvard University focusing on real estate and finance. He received a BE and ME in Architecture from Tohoku University.

Takayuki Kiura - Managing Director Heitman Japan

Takayuki is a Managing Director in Heitman's Client Service & Marketing group. He is an equity owner of the firm and a member of Heitman's Management Committee. Takayuki is responsible for the client service and marketing of Heitman's products to Japanese and Asian investors. He joined Heitman as a public real estate securities analyst after graduating from MIT, and from there returned to Japan to oversee the Heitman's marketing efforts at an Old Mutual affiliated company, UAM Japan, Inc. Upon the opening of Heitman's Tokyo branch in 2005, he was appointed as a managing director of the firm. Takayuki began his career at Mitsubishi Estate, where he was involved in acquisition, development, and sales and leasing of developed properties.

Takayuki received a BA from Kyoto University and a Masters in real estate development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a registered real estate transaction manager, ARES certified master in Japan, and a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Hosts / Panelists

Jeroen van Zanten - Division Management Citco C&T Eurasia Citco Singapore

Jeroen is a legal professional, with over 20 years of experience dealing with private, corporate and multinational clientele globally. Having lived and worked in the Caribbean, Latin America, USA, Europe, and Asia, he has created a reliable track record in the fiduciary industry. Jeroen is responsible for the business development within the Corporate and Trust Division of the Citco Group of Companies. Currently based in Singapore, he is actively working with Private Equity Funds, high net worth individuals, corporate and multinational clients, creatively blending both educational and business experience into a solution oriented approach.

Kazuhiro Matsuzawa – Founding Partner Aoyama Sogo Accounting Firm

Kazuhiro co-established Aoyama Sogo Accounting Office (ASAO) as a founding member in 1999 and has engaged in SPC administrations in structured finance including financial assets, and real estate. Additionally, Kazuhiro has served as a member of investment committees and nominee director of class shareholders. He became a Representative Partner of ASAO in 2008 and manages domestic services including structured finance. Kazuhiro was with Deloitte Touche Tomatsu in 1990, where he was in charge of statutory audits and initial public offerings. Kazuhiro is a Certified Public Tax Accountant and a Licensed Tax Accountant in Japan.