John Lim, group CEO and co-founder of ARA Asset Management (pictured), has been elected as chairman of Asia Pacific Real Estate Association (APREA).

Lim served as senior vice president of APREA between 2009 and 2011 and has more than 30 years of experience in the real estate industry. According to APREA, Lim led the exponential growth of ARA’s assets under management from nothing in 2002 to approximately $36 billion today.

Going forward under Lim’s chairmanship, a key focus of APREA will be to “encourage a more informed, efficient and connected marketplace” as well as championing world class research on the real estate industry’s performance and trends in Asia-Pacific.

Former chairman of APREA and Lim’s predecessor, Lim Swe Guan, will remain on the board of APREA as “immediate past chairman”. Lim Swe Guan is independent director of Global Logistics Properties (GLP).