GE Capital Real Estate : Worldwide : Asia Pacific : Overview : Management team

Management Team

François Trausch

CEO

François Trausch was promoted to CEO Asia-Pacific in April 2010 after having been the head of the France business for 7 years and being the Regional Head for Western Europe since 2008. Francois had joined GE Capital Real Estate in 1996 and had been appointed Managing Director of GE Capital Real Estate France in 2003. Prior to this, François was Head of Risk Management Europe/Senior Investment Officer, a role dedicated to transaction investments and approvals. In addition to this, François used to oversee GE Capital Real Estate’s Pan-European Asset Management operations. He has worked on various portfolio acquisitions including the purchase of public listed companies and real estate bad-banks / NPLs. Before he joined GE, François worked for Goldman Sachs in London and Tishman Speyer Properties in New York and Berlin. He holds a business degree from ESCP in Paris and an MBA from Harvard Business School in Boston.

francois.trausch@ge.com

Simon McDonald

MD Asset Management

Simon McDonald was appointed to his current role in February 2009, a role he previously held from November 2003 to November 2006. Between December 2006 and January 2009 Simon was Managing Director of Risk Management Asia Pacific. Simon was responsible for credit approval and managing the risk exposure of the firm's transactions. In 1997 Simon joined GE Real Estate, and prior to his move to Tokyo, he was Executive Director, GE Real Estate Australia and New Zealand. In this role, he was a head of the business with particular focus on Asset Management, Risk and Finance Functions. Simon has over 25 years real estate experience and held various roles with Macquarie Bank, Challenge Bank and Westpac before joining GE Real Estate. Simon is a CPA and has a Masters of Business in Finance and Banking from the University of Technology, Sydney and Bachelor of Economics degree from the Australian National University, Canberra.

simon.mcdonald@ge.com

Grace Chang

MD Investment Management

As managing director for GE Real Estate's Asia Investment Management business based in Tokyo, Japan, Grace is responsible for the research, development, and launch of the Asia Investment Management strategy and related business initiatives. Prior to her current role, Grace was a managing director in GE Real Estate's Commercial Initiatives Group based in New York where she focused on global business growth initiatives and strategy. Grace has also held several finance leadership roles including CFO for the Japan real estate business as well as director of financial planning and analysis for Asia both based in Tokyo, Japan. Grace joined GE in 1995 with the Financial Management Program at GE Power Systems and upon completing the program has held various GE finance positions including CFO for Global Nuclear Fuel in Japan prior to joining GE Real Estate in 2001. Grace received her B.S. in Economics with a minor in Business from the University of California, Berkeley.

grace.chang@ge.com

Ray Park

MD Korea & China

Ray Park is the Managing Director of GE Capital Real Estate Korea and China, based in Seoul. In his current role, he is in charge of real estate investment and management activities in Korea and China. Previously, he worked for Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering from the Seoul National University, and Master of Science in Real Estate Development (MSRED) and Master in City Planning (MCP) from MIT in Boston.

ray.park@ge.com

Jason Kougellis

MD Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia

Jason joined GECRE in 1999. He has over 15 years of real estate experience. Jason worked in the Asset Management and Originations departments of GECRE prior to his appointment as MD in 2007. Whilst leading the Originations function, Jason acquired over $2BN of direct investment assets across Australia, New Zealand & South East Asia, mostly by way of off-market transactions. Prior to GECRE, Jason held valuation and property investment roles at GIO, CBA & Paladin Funds Management. Jason is a Registered Valuer and holds a Bachelor of Land Economics.

jason.kougellis@ge.com

John A. Irvine

CFO

John has lead the Asia Finance organization since July 2011, responsible for all financial activities including accounting, operations, treasury, tax, planning, analysis and deal review. He is also accountable for optimizing management of the existing portfolio, supporting new business growth and responding to evolving regulatory needs. John joined the GE Financial Management Program in 1999. After completing assignments around Europe, he joined the GE Corporate Audit Staff in 2002, culminating in a two-year spell as Executive Audit Manager for the GE Capital businesses in Asia based in Tokyo. In 2008, he joined GE Corporate Finance Bank as Chief Financial Officer, before becoming Financial Planning & Analysis Manager for GE Capital Global Banking in 2009, both roles based in London. Prior to GE, John spent 3 years with the international non-profit student organization AIESEC in London and Rotterdam. He graduated with a First Class Honors degree in Accounting & Finance from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland in 1996.

john.irvine@ge.com

Bea Steans

Legal Counsel

Bea joins GE Capital Real Estate in July 2010 having spent three years with GE Corporate Japan. As GE Corporate Japan - Transactions Counsel, Bea led the complex "One GE" integration project to combine GE's Capital, Real Estate, and PK AirFinance businesses in Japan into one regulated legal entity and was also a core member of the legal teams working on GE's investment in the Japanese government sponsored fund, Innovation Network Corporation Japan (2009) and the divestment of GE Money's Japan business to Shinsei Bank (2008). Bea is a qualified solicitor (England and Wales) with more than twelve years' UK and Japan experience as a lawyer both in-house and in private practice specializing in corporate law, M&A, and financial regulatory matters. Bea graduated from Oxford University with a BA(Hons) in Mathematics.

elizabeth.steans@ge.com

Remi Hirama

Director, Asia Pacific Operations

Remi began her GE career in 1999 to work on the integration of an acquired leasing business in Japan. Since then, she has held various roles in IT and Lean Six Sigma in several GE businesses. Most recently, Remi was Chief Operating Officer – Asia Investment Management in GE Capital Real Estate. She was responsible for development and implementation of the fund operations and business readiness.
In her current role as Operations Director, Remi leads development and improvement of business operations in Asia Pacific.
Remi is Certified Six Sigma Black Belt and a graduate of Information Management Leadership Program of GE.
Prior to GE, Remi was a paralegal with Tozai Sogo Law Office, Tokyo, Japan.

Remi holds BA from Aoyama Gakuin University's School of International Politics in Japan, and was Rotary Foundation Scholar at McGill University's Political Science Department.

remi.hirama@ge.com

Kazuko Hirata

HR leader

Kazuko Hirata built career on HR first in the subsidiary of German Chemical/Pharmaceutical Company, Hoechst Japan Limited. After moving to GE as Human Resources Manager responsible for Japan Operation in Plastics business in 1999, Kazuko moved from industry business to capital business within GE as head of HR in Car Lease. Kazuko is in present position as Head of HR, GE Capital Real estate Asia Pacific since May 2006. During past 4 years in the position, her efforts were put into hiring/developing the talents, and supported the business strategy to be materialized from people and the organizational. Prior to changing her career to HR, Kazuko was Public Relations professional working on internal/external communications and advertisements for 18 years. Kazuko graduated from Keio University, majored in Philosophy.

kazuko.hirata@ge.com