Chris Cheung
Head of Property and Asset Management, East and Central China
As he left the office at the end of his first day, Chris remembers seeing a lot of colleagues hard at work, and thinking, “I wonder what everyone else is working on?”
As he got to know his team members, it turned out that a many of them were studying to obtain real estate qualifications. Part of the reason: JLL offers incentives and a supportive environment for people who want to study.
“Actually, JLL gives us two days of exam leave for each subject we study,” he says.
Chris, who joined JLL in 1996 with a higher diploma in public administration, took the opportunity to deepen his understanding of real estate and facilities management. Over the course of 10 years, he has achieved a number of qualifications, including a bachelor’s degree in housing studies, a Master’s degree in international real estate and two other certifications.
“I took the opportunity to study and got addicted to it,” he laughs. Chris Cheung remembers his first day at work in JLL vividly. The sun had set and it was 7pm – more than an hour after work had ended for the day – but none of his colleagues were leaving.
“Getting some outside perspective was great, it allowed me use what I had learned to push the boundaries at JLL.” Chris Cheung
In addition to furthering his education, Chris also says JLL has given him numerous other opportunities – like moving roles and countries.
In 2004, he moved with JLL to Shanghai for an associate director role in the property and asset management team. A life changing move in more ways than one, because while he was there, he met his future wife.
After a few years, Chris left JLL to join another real estate company which focused on infrastructure investment in China. In 2015 he returned to JLL armed with new perspective and experience to help drive JLL’s business in China.
“Getting some outside perspective was great, it allowed me use what I had learned to push the boundaries at JLL.”
In 2016, just a year after his return to JLL, the property and asset management team in east and central China posted one of their best results ever.
In his new role as business development director, Chris now travels China seeking out new opportunities and ways to help our clients with their unique projects and needs.
“I’m happy to be in a company that really invests in its people. I work in a great team and have had so much opportunity to develop both professionally and personally. This means a lot to me,” he says.
