Nicholas Brooke

Having been involved in the real estate sector for over 50 years and across three continents, Nicholas has a wealth of experience across a broad spectrum of roles, from advising on commercial property development and investment, to leading government advisory and public service initiatives. Widely travelled, most of his professional career has been spent in Asia. He has been based in Hong Kong for most of the last 40 years.  

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Education and Career

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After spending his childhood in Brazil, Nicholas Brooke returned to the United Kingdom. He obtained a BSc from the University of London in rural land/estate management, together with a post graduate diploma in farm business administration.

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After qualifying as a Chartered Surveyor, he spent his early career managing farms and other agricultural assets for the Crown Estate, the Church Commissioners, and various other institutional and private land owners. Following a chance meeting with the son of the Ruler of Dubai in 1973, he moved to Dubai to set up the first international property advisory practice in the city and subsequently spent some seven years in the Middle East working for the ruling families of Dubai, Bahrain, and Abu Dhabi.

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In 1979, Nicholas was recruited by the Swire Group and moved to Hong Kong as Development Director to assist with the redevelopment of a number of redundant waterfront properties. As Deputy Managing Director he was also closely involved in two flagship projects – the redevelopment of Taikoo Shing, a large-scale community development housing 50,000 residents, and Pacific Place, a mixed-use commercial development of some 500,000 sq m.

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In 1988 he left Swire Properties to establish the property advisory business now known as Professional Property Services Group (PPS), of which he is currently Chairman. PPS provides full-service strategic and property advice in relation to investment, development, acquisition, disposition, and management across the Asia Pacific region to governments, multinationals, major institutions and wealthy families and individuals.

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Professional Roles              

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In 2003 Nicholas had the honor to be the first overseas-based Chartered Surveyor to be elected as the Global President of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

In 2018 he was elected as Asia Pacific Chairman of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) of which he is also a Life Trustee.  ULI’s mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide.

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In addition, with most of his nearly forty years in Asia spent in Hong Kong, Nicholas has been closely involved in furthering the efforts of the Hong Kong Government to improve living conditions and boost business prospects in the city. In particular: 

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• Liveability and the urban environment are key areas of interest. Nicholas has been the Deputy Chairman of both the Hong Kong Town Planning Board and of the Hong Kong Housing Authority. 

 

• As a staunch believer that innovation drives economic growth, he has been a long-time supporter of the Hong Kong Government’s attempts to diversify the economy.  He served for 13 years on the Board, including 6 years as Chairman, of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, championing the campaign to create the Hong Kong Science Park which, when he stepped down, was already home to over 550 companies, 13,500 R&D and technical personnel, and some 250 startups. 

 

• Nicholas also served for 7 years as the Chairman of the Hong Kong Harbourfront Commission, a body responsible for overseeing the planning, design, implementation and management of some 73 kilometres of waterfront surrounding Victoria Harbour.

 

• In addition Nicholas is active in APEC (the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation), where he is a Principal Advisor to the APEC Policy Partnership on Science, Technology and Innovation (PPSTI), a group which provides a platform for APEC economies to share mutual challenges and design policies to address the rapidly changing world of innovation and technology.  He also chairs a Working Group, the mandate of which is to encourage the common adoption of international valuation standards and development of a robust valuation profession across the region.

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Industry and Honorary Roles

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Nicholas has long-standing associations with both the real estate profession and academia:
 

• Honorary Member of the American Institute of Architects (Hong Kong Chapter), Honorary Fellow of The Hong Kong Institute of Architects.
   

• Honorary Fellow of the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, the Lingnan University in Hong Kong and the University of the Built Environment in the UK, as well as an Honorary Professor at the University of Hong Kong and the University of Chongqing. Last but not least, he is a Freeman of the City of London.

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Awards

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For his service to the community in relation to the development of innovation and technology in Hong Kong Nicholas was awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star (SBS) by the Hong Kong Chief Executive in 2012.

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In recognition of his contribution to harbourfront enhancement, he was awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star (GBS) by the Chief Executive in 2018.