MLA Places Vanessa Yeo as Regional Legal Counsel, APAC at Hines Real Estate Investment Trust, Inc.

Hanover, MD (October 13th, 2022) — Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA), the world’s leading legal search firm, today announced the placement of Vanessa Yeo as regional legal counsel, APAC at Hines, the global real estate investment, development and property manager. The search was conducted by Olivia Seet, partner, and Pooja Mahbubani, director, both with MLA’s In-House Counsel Recruiting group in Singapore and Hong Kong.

As Hines’ first legal counsel on the ground in Asia Pacific, Vanessa will oversee the legal function of the region from the firm’s Singapore office. She will support Hines’ business teams and projects located in Australia, China, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Singapore and South Korea.

 “This is an exciting opportunity for both Hines and Vanessa. As their first legal counsel in Asia Pacific, we believe Vanessa, with her expertise, will be successful in this position,” Olivia Seet explained. Pooja Mahbubhani added, “Vanessa’s strong leadership and interpersonal skills will enable her to have a positive impact from the outset. We wish her the best of luck on this journey.”

Most recently, Vanessa was group legal counsel at ARA Asset Management, where she managed legal and regulatory matters involving ARA’s corporate, private funds and REIT management businesses. Earlier in-house roles include senior legal counsel roles with CapitaLand and Ascendas-Singbridge and as assistant director, legal and secretariat at UGL Services. She began her legal career in private practice at KhattarWong in Singapore, followed by Minter Ellison Lawyers in Sydney. Vanessa is licensed to practice law in Singapore and Australia, having earned a LL.B. from the National University of Singapore and LL.M from the University of Sydney.