Koichiro Maeda, starts as managing director and portfolio manager for Prudential Real Estate Investors (Japan). Based in Tokyo, Maeda most recently worked at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, where he was an executive director specializing in real estate within its investment banking unit. He has 18 years experience.

Benett Theseira has been named managing director, Southeast Asia. He is based in Singapore and responsible for PREI’s retail property investment portfolio. Before joining Prudential, he was president of MEAG Pacific Star Asia and Pacific Star Capital, responsible for the investment and fund Management business in Asia for more than six years.

Taeyun Won,recently appointed managing director, is responsible for investments and client management in Korea. He spent 17 years as a real estate lawyer in large American and Korean law firms including Evergreen Law Group and Shin & Kim in Seoul.

Henry Chin has been appointed head of Asia Pacific research and strategy. Chin is based in Hong Kong and responsible for developing and providing real estate investment strategies in Asia Pacific. He joined the company from Deutsche Bank, where he held several roles, including global real estate strategist and co-head of real estate in the Asia Pacific for the private banking business.

Joyce Lo has been hired as a senior vice president. Based in Hong Kong, she was most recently at a specialist Asian real estate investment manager, Sniper Capital, where she led capital raising and investor relations. Lo spent more than 10 years at Lehman Brothers Asia, where she began her career in 1999.

The recent hirings follow the announcement earlier this year of the appointment of Steve Bulloch to lead the firm’s expansion into Australia and responsible for sourcing property acquisition opportunities for PREI’s current institutional clients. Before joining PREI, Bulloch was executive director and head of property for Hastings Funds Management, where he was also a member of the executive management team and Hastings’ investment committee.

“Asia Pacific’s economies remain fundamentally strong, even amid global economic turmoil, and by expanding our team, we can create new strategies to capitalize on opportunities for institutional investors,” said Victoria Shigehira Sharpe, chief executive of Pramerica Real Estate Investors-Asia Pacific. 

PREI is the real estate asset management and advisory business of New York-listed Prudential Financial. As of June 30, 2011, PREI managed approximately $48.1 billion in gross real estate assets ($30.2 billion net) on behalf of more than 490 clients.