Edward Tan, Management Associate, Group Investment

I have been part of the Frasers Property family since August 2019. As I approach the end of my Management Associate programme, I am very thankful to have had the opportunities in three distinct yet complementary rotations across the Group. 

In my first rotation, I managed to get on the ground with the project management team at Development & Projects. As a fresh graduate new to the real estate industry, my seniors wanted to give me exclusive learning exposure to residential projects under development. I accompanied project leads to site visits at Seaside Residences and Rivière, and they were kind to help me understand jargons and concepts. On top of walking the ground, I was fortunate to participate in architectural, engineering and design discussions. It was constantly ingrained in me that being authentic and real forms the foundation of a successful relationship, whether it be with colleagues or clients. It is only through great teamwork and collaboration that developments can be successfully built and delivered. I felt this strongly when we were at the annual PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards event – it was not just a celebration of the accolade achievements of Frasers Tower, Northpoint City and Seaside Residences, but also one of our camaraderie and chemistry.

For my individual project, I was glad to be given the opportunity to develop a residential database that evaluates 140 projects – allowing our company to track over 30 project-specific characteristics ranging from land details and construction cost to breakeven, selling price and take-up rates.

In early 2020, I headed into my second rotation with the Singapore and Hospitality Investment team. Bringing over my knowledge from Development & Projects, I supported management with project feasibility studies and company long-term strategy decks. A couple months into my stint, the COVID-19 circuit breaker period was enforced and caused minor disruptions to our work. However, there were tight timelines on multiple deals and the team had to innovate to proceed with certain workstreams. I was tasked to plan and conduct a series of three virtual Design Thinking workshops over a one-month period, involving senior management, external consultants, architects, and real estate agents. This was part of the product development process for our upcoming Fernvale Lane executive condominium and included brainstorming sessions around topics such as target buyers, pricing strategy and product positioning. It was an enriching and insightful experience for me, seeing how Frasers Property extends the culture of collaboration and spirit of innovation in extraordinary times. 

In my current and final rotation, I am attached to Group Investment – a team that oversees the Group's investments and divestments across geographies. Together with the team, I look at proptech investments that complement our real estate platform. This entails conducting market research, understanding innovative business models and identifying product synergies with the Group. I have also been challenged to develop and maintain complex financial models, which hones my accounting and financial capabilities – an area of great interest to me. Similar to previous rotations, I am particularly grateful to be mentored by seniors who are not only very knowledgeable in their respective fields, but also helpful and patient with nurturing my career progression.