CBRE Appoints Samuel Lai as Head of Data Centre Leasing for Asia Pacific

CBRE today announced the promotion of Samuel Lai to Managing Director, Head of Data Centre Leasing, Asia Pacific, effective November 1, 2026.

Lai brings more than 22 years of industry experience, including 18 years with CBRE, and is a highly experienced data centre and industrial leasing professional in the region.  He will be responsible for leading and expanding CBRE’s Data Centre Leasing platform across Asia Pacific, reporting to Tom Gaffney, Regional Managing Director & Head of Leasing, Asia Pacific. He will work closely with advisory business leaders to strengthen collaboration between markets and deliver a connected and scalable platform for clients. 

In addition to his new role, Lai will continue to lead and develop CBRE’s Industrial & Logistics and Data Centre Leasing business in Hong Kong, reporting to Ada Fung, Chief Operating Officer, Advisory Services, Hong Kong. His extensive relationships with data centre developers, operators, hyperscalers, occupiers, and investors across Asia Pacific position him well to drive growth and strengthen collaboration across markets.

Demand for data centres across Asia Pacific continues to accelerate, driven by cloud computing, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure investment, and growing enterprise requirements. As digital infrastructure becomes increasingly critical, the sector is expected to play an increasingly important role in supporting CBRE’s broader leasing, capital markets, and advisory businesses.

The rapid growth of digital infrastructure is fundamentally reshaping occupier demand and investment strategies across Asia Pacific,” said Gaffney. “Data centres have become one of the most important and fastest-growing sectors for our clients and for CBRE. Samuel has been at the forefront of this evolution for many years and has built an exceptional reputation in the market. His deep relationships, commercial leadership and ability to bring teams together make him the ideal leader to drive the next phase of growth for our Data Centre Leasing business across the region. We have tremendous confidence in Samuel’s ability to execute our strategy and further strengthen our market-leading position.”

“Samuel’s promotion reflects his outstanding contribution to our Industrial & Logistics business,” said Fung. “He has consistently demonstrated a strong client-first mindset, exceptional leadership, and a passion for developing both people and business opportunities, helping grow our Industrial & Logistics business to the number one market share position in Hong Kong. We are incredibly proud to see him take on this expanded regional leadership role and look forward to continuing to work closely with Samuel and Tom as we support the growth of our clients and our business in this critical sector across the region.”