JLL today announced the appointment of Robert Lay as Senior Director, Debt Advisory, Capital Markets, Asia Pacific. Based in Hong Kong, he will assume responsibility for JLL’s Debt Advisory platform in Greater China, partnering with members of the wider JLL Capital Markets teams in both Hong Kong and Mainland China, and across Asia Pacific.  

In the newly-created role, Robert will specifically focus on sourcing real estate debt advisory opportunities through his external network across Greater China. He will assume responsibility for utilizing JLL’s existing network of clients in the region to further build out this growing business segment. For JLL, he will report to Theo Novak, Executive Director, Capital Markets Transactions, Asia Pacific and will work closely with Paul Brindley, Head of Debt Advisory, Asia Pacific.  

“Clients across Greater China will consistently require more sophisticated solutions to service their debt capital needs. Under Robert’s leadership, we’re confident we can further entrench a broader understanding of the benefits of utilizing a globally connected and locally attuned capital markets intermediary to deliver unrivaled debt advisory services to our diversified client base,” says Novak.

To JLL, Robert brings more than 17 years of experience in the banking industry, where he has worked on a wide range of teams including retail, SME, corporate finance and corporate and institutional banking. 

He joins JLL from Bank of China (New Zealand) where he was most recently Head of Corporate Development and Acting Head of Corporate Banking. In this position, he covered a variety of sectors including property finance, infrastructure & utilities, healthcare, agriculture and multinational corporations. He also brings experience from ASB Bank and MUFG Bank across several executive roles, based in New Zealand.