Real estate industry leaders and experts gathered at the inaugural PropertyGuru Malaysia Real Estate Summit held today at the InterContinental Kuala Lumpur. Themed, "Shaping the Future of Malaysian Real Estate”, it assembled more than one hundred key decision makers and C-Level Executives from leading property organisations. The event was officiated by YB Dato' Lee Chee Leong, Deputy Finance Minister, Malaysia; and Datuk Seri FD Iskandar bin Mohamed Mansor, President of REHDA.

In officiating the event as the keynote speaker, YB Dato' Lee Chee Leong said, "I wish to thank and applaud PropertyGuru for providing a platform for Asia's finest dynamic minds in our property industry to come together to overcome obstacles and promote excellence around the region.

He added, "This conference will provide an opportunity for further discussions on transnationalism in real estate industry, at the same time to strengthen links between international partners. Malaysia firmly believes in the sharing of experiences and resources to ensure a dynamic global engagement where mutual benefits can be derived between all parties concerned.”

Datuk Seri FD Iskandar bin Mohamed Mansor, President of REHDA, spoke about Malaysia's real estate vision for 2018 and said, "There has been strong economic growth in Malaysia over the last 12 months, with Property and Construction leading as the 2nd key contributor to the economy and has chalked up 6.5% growth, according to data from Bank Negara Malaysia. Asians want to be homeowners, it is part of our DNA, and the federal government initiatives to assist homeownership has been plentiful.”

Dato Seri added, "Property investment is the biggest investment in your life in terms of value creation. Kuala Lumpur real estate growth is promising with 10 million people predicted to relocate to the Klang Valley by 2020, according to research from PEMANDU.”

Over 20 real estate, finance and government experts contributed their knowledge and experience during interactive and engaging sessions at the event. The speakers addressed local, regional and global property trends as well as key challenges in real estate development, investment and industry growth.

Highlights of the topics covered include: - China's One Belt, One Road: How will it reshape Malaysia Real Estate Market? By Rafiq Jumabhoy, Executive Chairman of Orkney Investments - Insights into Property Valuations for Development Lands By Elvin Fernandez, Managing Director, Khong & Jaafar, Malaysia - Diversifying into Singapore real estate By Christine Li, Director, Head of Research, Singapore, Cushman & Wakefield - Case Study: Building a smart, green, self-sustaining city of the future By Nicholas Ho, Deputy Managing Director, hpa (Ho & Partners Architects)

Steve Melhuish, PropertyGuru founder said, "The Summit was a success. Malaysia is one of Asia's fastest growing markets, and in an increasingly globalised world, the event brought together some of the region's industry thought leaders to share their views. Despite recent market challenges, there was overwhelming enthusiasm - supported by strong underlying fundamentals and ongoing domestic and foreign investment. Malaysia's real estate growth prospects are healthy and PropertyGuru is proud to play a part in supporting the industry.”