Ivan Lam
Chairperson (Australia)
Head of International Business, Charter Keck Cramer
Ivan Lam
Based in Melbourne, Ivan is the Head of International Business at Charter Keck Cramer. Fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese and English, he ensures a smooth investment process for clients from Asia who are looking to invest in the Australian property market. Ivan focuses on providing highly skilled, experienced and cost-effective resources to investors – ensuring that their investments are safeguarded.
Lui Violanti
Vice Chairperson (Australia)
Regional Manager - Western Australian
,Inhabit Group
Lui Violanti
Over the past twenty plus years Lui has worked on a number of significant landmark and award winning projects across Australia. During this time he has been responsible for the design, delivery and management of a number of building typologies including education, health, retail, commercial, and residential.
In this capacity Lui has worked in all facets of the project development, from masterplanning, town planning, design to documentation and construction. This entails developing hand sketches and performance briefs at concept design, through to the management and delivery of production documentation, inclusive of performance specifications and glazing schedules to meet with the design intent, technical performance and budgetary constraints of the project.
His experience has been at the forefront of glass, remedial, envelope development and sustainable solutions in the façade industry. With a background in Architecture, he has worked with façade fabricators, developing expertise in curtain wall design and façade structures. Tony has designed façades on prominent buildings in Australia, in collaboration with the world’s leading consultants.
As Regional Manager for Western Australia has a key leadership role in interfacing with the design and construction teams, coordinating the requirements of the architectural, services, structural, acoustic and project brief requirements within the façade team. He also appreciates the project management systems and quality assurance system that are necessary for the delivery of large complex projects.
A personal interest in creating sustainable outcomes for supporting the construction industry drives Lui, pushing the boundaries around how architects and builders deliver superior quality, buildability and efficiency of the architectural vision and design intent.
Lui’s background as a Practice Director of an Architectural Practice, he also has a keen interest and appreciation of the architectural design, and enjoys working with designers to resolve complex geometries and developing systems that articulate design.
Education and professional qualifications
1991Registered Architect
1989Bachelor of Architecture, Curtin University, Perth
1985Bachelor of Applied Science, Western Australian Institute of Technology, Perth
Professional History
2013- PresentInhabit, Perth – Regional Manager Western Australian
2001-2013NHArchitecture, Melbourne - Practice Director
1998-2001Daryl Jackson Architects, Melbourne – Project Architect
1991-1998 Bollig Design Group, Perth – Architect
1988 -1991 Ministry of Housing and Construction, Melbourne – Graduate Architect
Specialist skills
- Project Delivery and Administration of Large Complex Projects
- Design Delivery / Lead Coordinator with Design Team
- Project Management and QA Systems
- Package Management between façade and other trades
- Performance Specifications
- Team Leader
- Buildability and Onsite works
Amelia (Dan) Tian
Director, W T Newey & Co. Strata
Amelia (Dan) Tian
Amelia (Dan) Tian is an accomplished business owner and executive with over 20 years of experience in the strata and body corporate management industry. She has successfully managed multiple strata businesses, including one with over 100 years of history, excelling in operations, financial management, business development, and strategic leadership. Amelia has provided consultancy services to multiple branches of a listed strata company, optimising operations and driving growth. With expertise in compliance, human resources, and risk management, she leads teams to achieve operational efficiency and business success. Amelia holds advanced degrees in HR, Accounting, and an MBA, alongside various professional certifications.
Benson Zhou
Senior Director - CBRE | Capital Markets, Hotels
Benson Zhou
Benson Zhou is a Senior Director in CBRE's Hotels Capital Markets division, bringing more than 13 years of commercial real estate experience across the hotel, retail, development, and office sectors. Widely recognised as a market leader in Melbourne's commercial property market, Benson has built a strong reputation for delivering complex transactions and exceptional outcomes for both domestic and international clients.
Prior to joining CBRE, Benson led the Hotel, Commercial Sales and Asia Markets team at Savills Melbourne, where he specialised in hotel investment sales, commercial transactions, and cross-border capital flows. His extensive experience across the hospitality and investment sectors has positioned him as a trusted advisor to private investors, developers, institutional owners, and offshore capital groups.
A key strength of Benson's business is his deep connection with Asian capital markets. He regularly travels throughout Asia to maintain and expand relationships with a network of high-calibre investors, leveraging his language capabilities, cultural understanding, and extensive market knowledge to facilitate international investment opportunities and cross-border acquisitions.
In addition to his transaction expertise, Benson has served as a judge for the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards (Australia & APAC), providing him with valuable insight into emerging market trends and strengthening his profile across the Asia-Pacific real estate industry.
Throughout his career, Benson has been involved in numerous landmark transactions and was recognised as Commercial Agent of the Year in 2022, reflecting his outstanding performance, market leadership, and commitment to client success.
At CBRE, Benson focuses on hotel investment sales and capital markets transactions, working with local and international investors to unlock value and deliver strategic outcomes across Australia's hospitality sector.
Jackson Liew
Director, Cameron Chisholm Nicol
Jackson Liew
Jackson is a highly experienced architect with nearly 20 years of expertise across diverse sectors, including education, sports, transport, commercial, mixed-use, hospitality, and multi-residential projects.His work includes RAAFA’s Cirrus Apartments and Clubhouse, which was a finalist in the 2023 Property Council of Australia (PCA) National Retirement Living Awards, and Rosewood Aged Care in West Perth, which won the UDIA WA 2022 Seniors Living Development of the Year and subsequently received the UDIA National Award for Excellence in Seniors Living the following year. Jackson has contributed to industry discourse as a keynote speaker at the PCA Future of Residential Conference in 2022 and as a presenter on Build-to-Rent for the PCA Academy Course in the same year. He currently serves as a member of several Local Authority Design Review Panels and has recently been elected to the PCA Retail and Hotels Committee. Previously, he was a member of the PCA Residential Committee. In addition to his professional practice, Jackson has been a sessional tutor and thesis supervisor at the Curtin School of Design and the Built Environment for the past five years, a role he continues to hold.
Karen Kong
Head of Property Lending, Bendigo Bank
Karen Kong
Karen is an experienced finance professional with vast experience in all sectors of the banking industry, from the grassroots level to senior management. Possessing adaptive communication styles, combined with sound negotiation and influencing skills, her unique value proposition resides in her knowledge of the property and real estate market across an expansive 20-year career. As the leader of the Property Lending team at Bendigo Bank, she oversees business strategy, drive strategic customer outcomes, and has responsibility for quality and profitability of the property book. Outside of work, she co-chairs the Asian Australian Foundation Women’s Chapter ‘The Gathering Circle’.
Karl Fu
Partner - Asian Markets, Winning Commercial
Karl Fu
Currently as Partner, Asian Markets in Winning Commercial Australia, specialized in Marketing & Sales management in property segments of interior furniture & fixtures, building materials specification and supply in residential and commercial developments.
Professional experiences in the global markets previously working for BlueScope and SMEG with proven records and networks spanning Asia-Pacific and Europe. In Australia, specified and delivered over 200 residential projects for more than 25,000 units, especially in luxury property markets across the country including numerous landmarks such as One Circular Quay Sydney, Opera Residences Sydney, One Sydney Harbour, Elizabeth Quay Developments Perth, and many more with regional price records.
Michelle Tay
Group Executive Director, The SILC Group
Michelle Tay
Michelle Tay is Group Executive Director, AFSL Responsible Manager, and Head of Portfolio Solutions at The SILC Group. She leads financial management, regulatory oversight, and operational risk across bespoke investment structures spanning property, private credit, and private equity.
With a background in syndicated corporate finance and complex structured transactions, Michelle combines technical rigour with practical commercial insight. During her tenure at ANZ, she managed diversified corporate portfolios across sectors and jurisdictions, developing strong risk assessment capability and a disciplined approach to capital allocation.
Michelle’s experience in property-linked investment structures, governance frameworks, and fiduciary oversight positions her well to assess projects not only on design and market appeal, but on financial sustainability, execution capability, and long-term value creation.
She holds qualifications from the Australian Institute of Company Directors, CPA Australia, and Monash University. Michelle also serves as Chair of the SILC Philanthropic Foundation, reflecting her commitment to responsible leadership and ethical stewardship.
As a judge, she brings independence, analytical depth, and a strong focus on governance, viability, and enduring impact.
Peter Li
Peter Li
Sold over 1000 properties in his real estate career, Peter Li is specializing in off the plan apartment sales and marketing of residential projects. Peter Li has participant in over 60 residential project launches including Barangaroo, Darling Square Darling Harbour, Greenland Centre Sydney CBD, REVY Pyrmont, Blue Lavender Bay, SYNC Neutral Bay, MUSE Neutral Bay, Laurier Cremorne , ESQUE Mosman and etc. In 2021, Peter has conceived the Plus Agency, launched it, recruited its team, developed them, obtained projects and listings, and achieved $223,703,900 of sales in the first year and 5 stars ratings on google, REA, domain and rate my agent.
Richard Newling Ward
Director & Co-Founder : BayleyWard Architecture + Interior Design
Richard Newling Ward
Richard Newling Ward co-founded BayleyWard in early 2013 with partner Nick Readett-Bayley, following his move from London to Australia in 2010. As a driving force behind the practice, Richard brings extensive experience across multiple sectors, including commercial, luxury apartments, build-to-rent, co-living, modular design, multi-residential, community hubs, luxury private homes, and hospitality projects.
BayleyWard is recognized as a dynamic and creative design office with studios in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and servicing projects nationally and in South East Asia. With a team of 50 architects and interior designers nationwide, the studio draws from global influences—spanning Europe, Asia, and the Americas—to create progressive, sustainable and elegant designs.
Richard’s expertise lies in conceptual design, spatial planning, visioning, and design leadership. He thrives on bringing people together to make projects happen, leveraging a strong developer network and a keen understanding of design trends, branding, market positioning, and problem-solving.
Under his leadership, BayleyWard has earned numerous accolades for sustainability and design, while also fostering an exceptional workplace culture.
Shanker Ramakrishnan
Director, SR Business & Finance Consulting Pty Ltd
Shanker Ramakrishnan
Qualified Economist (holding Bachelor & Master Degrees in Economics), and a 30 year Banking & Finance Professional in Sydney, Australia, across Corporate & Business Banking, Investment Funds Management, Retail Banking, and currently Self-Employment as a Business & Finance Consultant.
During his career he has worked with some of the largest and most successful Property Developers, and Property Investors in Australia.
He is a practioner of his learning and experience and is a successful property investor, and is passionate about helping everyday Australians secure their financial futures through building and creating personal wealth through Property Investment.
Shona Leppӓnen-Gibson
President /General Manager,
Australia Malaysia Business Council Queensland Inc /Australian Leadership Skills Centre
Shona Leppӓnen-Gibson
Shona has a keen interest in leadership development, international relations, and strategic issues and a strong commitment to fostering relations with the ASEAN region, Europe and elsewhere. A long-time business and civic leader and an active contributor to Queensland’s international business community, Shona is involved in numerous business, industry, and non-profit organisations. She is the General Manager of the Australian Leadership Skills Centre, specialising in training and development, alongside her roles as General Manager and Principal Consultant at Paradigm Infinitum, and President of the Australia Malaysia Business Council Queensland and Co-Chairman of the Nordic Forum, and leadership roles in several other organisations.
