© 2023 Undivided Ventures
As societies respond to rapidly changing realities, the way buildings and cities are constructed, used and operated is undergoing unprecedented change. Industry is at an inflection point, and today’s practices will be unrecognisable in a few short years.
Our deep networks and diversity of expertise allows us to support innovators and companies in developing real solutions and measureable impact.
OUR VISION
Our team is made up of a unique combination of academics, real estate investors, entrepreneurs and sustainability consultants.
THE TEAM
Alexander Bent
Managing Partner
Alex has been involved in the real estate industry investing into hard assets and real estate technologies for over twenty years. He was co-founder of a serviced apartment platform, co-founder of an asset manager and investor and also as an angel investor into early stage property and construction tech companies. Alex has always had a mission to make the built environment a better place to live and work and Undivided Ventures represents what he hopes is a part of the solution to one of real estate biggest challenges.
Ariel Shtarkman
Managing Partner
Ariel has worked in the real estate industry across both debt and equity, developmentand value add strategies in the last seventeen years, and has been extensively investing in proptech companies as an angel investor. She is the founder of single family office investment practice, focused on real estate and proptech investments, and was a co-founder of an boutique investment platform for family offices investing in US real estate. Previously, Ariel worked instructured finance arranging debt financing for real estate companies at Citibank Hong Kong and real estate private equity in ING Real Estate Investment Management. Ariel has invested in a number of companies as an angel investor, in the PropTech, AgriTech, and FinTech fields and is on the advisory board of RevereVc, a platform for modernising investing in venture for family offices. Ariel ispassionate about the future of the built environment and the merge between techand real estate.
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Tim Forman
Technical Partner
Tim began his career in construction before becoming an academic and industry consultant focussed on sustainability and buildings and cities. Tim has taught sustainability and design at world-leading universities in postgraduate programmes for practising built environment professionals and has led industry-funded research and consulted on a wide range of sustainability-related projects. His belief that the world’s problems require more collaboration and innovation motivates his work at Undivided Ventures.
Amie Shuttleworth
Principal
Amie has worked in sustainability in the built environment for the last 17 years, including on construction sites, in the boardroom as a Global Director of Sustainability for both construction and engineering firms as well as running her own consultancy. She also has a strong academic track record, publishing papers to enhance knowledge share. She is keen to ensure action is implemented rapidly, and Undivided Ventures can provide the support to scale those innovative solutions needed.
Aamir Sakhia
COO
Aamir has over 30 years of operational executive experience in Asia and US, including as COO for Lane Crawford, as well as as strategic advisor for startups. He holds an MBA from NYU Stern.
Takuya Sato
Japan Lead
Takuya has woked in Nomura Securities and McKinsey & Company and has deep insights into corporate strategy and implementation. At McKinsey, he engaged in various corporate transformation and go-to-market projects, supporting new initiatives from planning to implementation through close collaboration with counterparts across various divisions in client companies. As a Japan Lead at UndividedV entures, Takuya is a bridge between start-ups and Japanese companies, bringing open innovation opportunities and practical collaborations to the Japan economy. He holds an MBA from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Josephine Dufour
Associate
Josephine has a background in sustainability and policy. She worked as a consultant advising clients cross-industry on EU and sustainability policy. With a focus on chemicals, circular economy, and sustainable finance, she worked on a number of initiative under the EU Green Deal, developing positioning and advocacy campaigns. She holds a Master degree from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne in European Law and an MBA from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Kevin Kwok
Finance
Kevin has over 15 years of experience as a finance and accounting professional and practical competences in assurance, finance due-diligence and transaction advisory. He holds a BBA in accounting from HKUST and is a member of the HK Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
ADVISORS
Jie Zhou
Advisor
Jie currently leads the newly established Sino-UK Centre for Sustainability Innovation at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership. With over 15 years of professional experience, she has held circular economy and sustainability leadership roles in NGOs, consulting, and the higher education sector. Jie was a founding member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's (EMF) China Programme and helped the organization navigate through the complex local environment. Later, she led EMF's Higher Education Demonstrative Initiative. As a subject matter expert on the circular economy, she worked with some of the best universities in London, New York, Shanghai, and São Paulo, developing and lecturing on the circular economy through the lens of systems thinking.
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Eime Tobari
Advisor
Eime is a Social Value Strategist in real estate and urban planning with multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural expertise. Her work is underpinned by her deep understanding of how the built environment affects behaviours, perceptions and ultimately the quality of life. Eime drives Avison Young’s social value agenda with a particular focus on human aspects, such as wellbeing, equity, social cohesion and cultural identity. She helps clients, partners and colleagues deliver positive and meaningful social impact through their work in places and communities.
Denise Chen
Advisor
Denise is the Senior Sustainability Adviser to Melco Resorts & Entertainment, previously the Chief Sustainability Officer of the group. She spearheaded the company’s commitment to the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative (led by UN Environment and UNWTO in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation) to set concrete targets by 2025 to reduce plastic waste in its operations. Her previous role was Group Treasurer of the company, she developed the Treasury function from the company’s early days and managed it through to reach a US$10 billion market capitalisation. She qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers and holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Kresse Wesling CBE
Advisor
Kresse Wesling CBE, is a multi-award winning environmental entrepreneur and Young Global Leader with a background in venture capital and significant start-up experience. After first meeting with the London Fire Brigade in 2005, Kresse launched Elvis & Kresse, which turns industrial waste into innovative lifestyle products and returns 50% of profits to charities related to the waste. Elvis & Kresse’s first line is made from decommissioned fire hose, 50% of the profits from this line are donated to the Fire Fighters Charity. The company now collects 12 different waste streams, has several charitable partnerships and is involved with collaborations across industries, from FTSE 100 companies to fashion houses, including a current, 5 year partnership with the Burberry Foundation.
Duncan Baker-Brown
Advisor
Duncan Baker-Brown is an expert in circular economy solutions. Duncan is a practicing architect in the UK (bakerbrown.studio) with strong UK and European links to industry, and he is a Principal Lecturer at the University of Brighton. Duncan is well-known in the UK design/construction circuit as a public speaker and debate participant, and he is currently preparing an update to his excellent book, The Re-Use Atlas.
Kirsten Henson
Advisor
Kirsten Henson is a civil engineer and a sustainability practitioner. Kirsten founded KLH Sustainability, a London-based sustainable built environment consultancy in 2010. She is involved in ambitious projects in the UK and around the world (including most recently, Google’s Downtown West in San Jose, Nairobi Central Station and innocent’s Net Zero factory in Rotterdam). Kirsten has deep green sensibilities and is closely involved in industry and policy debate forums. Her advisory roles have included UNEP, the International Olympic Committee and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, where she recently curated the Sustainable Real Estate on-line short course.
Mike Ward
Advisor
Mike has been a Chartered Building Services Engineer for over twenty years through a blend of consultancy and contractor roles, and is passionate about passive integrated design and the technical coordination of services within tall, complex, and low energy buildings. He has extensive UK and international experience across all construction sectors, all RIBA and GRIP stages of design, and research interests in building physics, building and system simulation, and minimising in-use building energy consumption to maximise sustainable outcomes.
Bernard Leong
Advisor
Dr. Bernard Leong is an experienced executive with expertise in business and technology management. He held key regional roles at Amazon Web Services, Airbus Aerial, Singapore Post, and Woh Hup. Bernard actively contributes to the Southeast Asia entrepreneurial ecosystem as an entrepreneur in residence at INSEAD Business School. He is the founder and host of the Analyse Asia podcast, engaging with thought leaders and industry players. Bernard is an active angel investor focusing on Web3 and AI startups. He also serves as an adjunct lecturer at the National University of Singapore Business School. With a PhD in Physics from the University of Cambridge, Bernard has conducted research at renowned institutions including the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Genome Institute of Singapore. Currently, he is building an enterprise AI startup.
Benjamin Cha
Advisor
Benjamin Cha has held leadership roles in the Asian property industry, with extensive experience in property investment, fund management, asset management, and development across office, residential, retail, and hotel sectors. He is a seasoned investor in proptech and property adjacent businesses, trusted by regional and global family offices, institutional investors, and joint venture partners. He led successful teams in China, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand. Previously, he served as Chief Executive, Asia Pacific for Grosvenor from 2014 to 2022 and was Managing Director and Head of Global Real Estate for Greater China at UBS Global Asset Management. Prior to that, Ben was Executive Director and Head of HKR Asia Pacific at HKR International. In 2023, he founded the Seradac Foundation, focusing on visual culture, the built environment, and Hong Kong's preservation.
