The global real estate brand is bringing on a seasoned asset manager to focus on the Malaysian market. The move comes soon after the group named a global CEO for the region to expand APAC business.

Following Alex Jeffrey’s arrival last October as global chief executive for Savills Investment Management, the group has appointed Dougie Crichton to head asset management for Savills Malaysia to make regional inroads. Savills Malaysia operates under a cooperation agreement with the real estate investment management side, which administers around €20 billion ($21.7 billion) in assets worldwide.

Crichton, who is joining from an advisory role in Kuala Lumpur for HSBC, where he helped deliver the bank’s HQ development, will be in charge of managing existing country relationships and will play “an important role” in strengthening the group’s asset management business in Malaysia, the firm said.

Savills reported €520 million in transactions in Asia and a further €3 billion worldwide in 2019. Crichton has also served in senior roles at Farpoint (part of the Gunung Sewu Group), Hongkong Land, and the Pamfleet Group during two decades working in Southeast Asia.

Global CEO Jeffrey, posted in Singapore, said: “He will work closely with our affiliated colleagues in Savills Malaysia, who have a very strong platform in the country.” Savills took a large stake in Malaysian property and investment firm CBRE in 2015 on the back of strong growth forecasts gaining an established network in the region.