Board of Directors

David Matheson joined the Board and was appointed as Chairman on 30 September 2025. David was also appointed as a member of the nominating and remuneration committee on 31 December 2025.

David is Chief Investment Officer – Group Strategy and Investments of ESR, focusing on corporate strategy, balance sheet investment management, capital allocation, and enhancing the company’s investment platform.

David joined ESR in July 2025 from Starwood Capital Group, where he was a member of Starwood’s global Investment and Operating committees and responsible for the firm’s real estate investments and asset management activities across Europe and Asia Pacific, including leading Starwood’s investment in ESR and its subsequent privatisation.

Previously, David was an Executive Vice President at Oxford Properties Group, where he was a member of their Executive Committee and Investment Committee. He spent eight years at Oxford, leading investment and development activity across Europe and Asia Pacific. In total, he has been involved in over $40 billion in real estate equity and credit investments across the logistics, data centre, office, retail, residential, and hospitality sectors.

Prior to his time at Oxford, David spent over a decade in European investment banking, most recently at Goldman Sachs, completing over $10 billion in transactions across M&A, equity, and debt capital markets.

David received a B.A. degree in Modern Languages (Honours) from Oxford University.

Mr Yap Chee Meng is the Lead Independent Director and Chairman of the audit and risk committee. Mr Yap is also a member of the nominating and remuneration committee. He joined the Board on 22 April 2019.

Mr Yap was the Chief Operating Officer of KPMG International for Asia Pacific and a member of its Global Executive Team. Prior to his appointment as the regional Chief Operating Officer of KPMG International in 2010, he was a Senior Partner in KPMG Singapore, the Regional Head of Financial Services in Asia Pacific, and Country Head of Real Estates and Specialised REITs Group in Singapore.

In his career spanning 37 years of experience in the financial sector, Mr Yap has served in the committees of various professional and regulatory bodies including Singapore’s Accounting & Corporate Regulatory Authority and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore.

In the preceding three years, Mr Yap held independent directorships in RHB Investment Bank Berhad and HSBC Insurance (Singapore) Pte Limited and HSBC Life (Singapore) Pte Ltd. Mr Yap was also the Non-Executive Chairman of RHB Asset Management Group (and HSBC Life (Singapore) Pte Ltd when it was AXA Insurance Pte Ltd).

Mr Yap’s past independent board memberships included those in Keppel Land Limited, The Esplanade Co Ltd, SATS Ltd, SMRT Corporation Ltd and the National Research Foundation of Singapore. He qualified as a UK Chartered Accountant in 1981, and is now a non-practising Fellow of the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants and a non-practising Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales. Mr Yap is also a council member of the Charity Council of Singapore.

Mr Anthony Couse is an Independent Director and joined the Board on 24 October 2025. Mr Couse was appointed as a member of the audit and risk as well as the nominating and remuneration committees on 31 December 2025.

Mr Couse is currently a Partner at Elevate Capital Group. Mr Couse has more than 35 years of experience in the real estate sector. Prior to joining Elevate Capital Group, Mr Couse was previously the Chief Executive Officer of JLL Asia Pacific where he was responsible for the company’s overall operations in 16 countries. Before that, he was managing director for Shanghai and Eastern China for over a decade and he also spent 12 years at JLL’s Hong Kong office.

Mr Couse graduated with a Bachelor (Hons), Biology from the University of London.

Mr Abdul Jabbar Bin Karam Din is an Independent Director and joined the Board on 24 October 2025. Mr Jabbar was appointed as member of the audit and risk committee and Chairman of the nominating and remuneration committee on 31 December 2025.

Mr Jabbar is currently the Deputy Managing Partner of Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP. He has more than 30 years of extensive experience in corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, banking and finance, general commercial and private client work, both local and international. Mr Jabbar regularly advises public listed and unlisted companies on corporate governance, compliance and regulatory matters.

Mr Jabbar is the Lead Independent Director, Chairman of Remuneration Committee and Member of Nominating Committee at GRC Limited. He is also the Lead Independent Director, Chairman of the Nomination and Governance Committee, and Member of the Audit & Risk Management Committee at Global Investments Limited. Mr Jabbar also served as the Lead Independent Director of Chip Eng Seng Corporation Ltd (now known as Tang Organization Pte. Ltd.) which was previously listed on the SGX-ST. Mr Jabbar is a Senior Accredited Director of the Singapore Institute of Directors.

Mr Jabbar graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the National University of Singapore.

Mr Lock Wai Han is a Non-Executive Director and member of the audit and risk as well as the nominating and remuneration committees. He joined the Board on 1 August 2018.

Mr Lock is currently an Executive Director at Aesen Offshore Limited (previously known as MEO - Miclyn Offshore Express), and a consultant to Haiyi Holdings Pte. Ltd. Mr Lock is also the Lead Independent Director of The Hour Glass Limited.

Mr Lock was previously the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of OKH Global Ltd, as well as an Independent Director of Chip Eng Seng Corporation Ltd which was delisted from the Singapore Stock Exchange on 11 April 2023.

Prior to joining OKH Global Ltd, Mr Lock was the Executive Director and Group CEO of Rowsley Ltd and before that he was based in Beijing as the China CEO of CapitaMalls Asia ("CMA"), where he had oversight of a retail mall portfolio that included Raffles City projects and CMA mixed developments.

Up until he joined CMA in March 2010, Mr Lock had served in the Singapore public sector for more than 20 years during which he held various leadership roles including Commissioner of the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority; Director of the Criminal Investigations Department and Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Information, Communications & the Arts, as well as directorships in various statutory boards.

Mr Lock holds a Bachelor and Master of Arts (Engineering) from the University of Cambridge, UK, and a Master of Science (Management) from Leland Stanford Junior University, USA.

Mr Chong Kee Hiong was appointed as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director on 1 January 2019. He is also a Director of One Raffles Quay Pte. Ltd.. Mr Chong is a Partners' Representative of BFC Development LLP.

Mr Chong has over 30 years of financial and management experience. Prior to joining the Manager, Mr Chong was the Chief Executive Officer of OUE Hospitality REIT Management Pte Ltd from 2013 to 2018. He was Chief Executive Officer of The Ascott Limited from 2012 to 2013 and Chief Executive Officer of Ascott Residence Trust Management Limited from 2005 to 2012. Prior to that, Mr Chong was with Raffles Holdings Limited as their Chief Financial Officer. Mr Chong began his career in audit with KPMG Peat Marwick in 1990.

Mr Chong is currently president of the General Committee of Orchid Country Club and Aranda Country Club. Mr Chong is also a member of the audit and risk management committee of Mt. Alvernia Hospital.

Mr Chong was an elected Member of Parliament for Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC.

Mr Chong holds a Bachelor of Accountancy with National University of Singapore and completed Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program in 2008. He is a member of the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants.