Jules Kay, General Manager, PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards & Events spoke at the event. (Photo: ARES 2025)

Also known as the thought leadership platform of PropertyGuru Group, ARES 2025 took over for a full day of expert talks, panel discussions, keynote presentations, and networking sessions on 11 December.

The Summit served as a prelude to the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards Grand Final and International Luncheon, both held on 12 December, which gathered the finest real estate developers and design practices from 13 property markets across Asia Pacific.

Delving into this year’s theme of “Trusted marketplaces and thriving communities,” ARES 2025 attracted over 400 delegates eager to converse about topics at the intersection of property, technology, and design.

Syetarn Hansakul, Senior Analyst for South-East Asia at The Economist Intelligence Corporate Network opened ARES 2025 with macro insights on a year of global challenges. (Photo: ARES 2025)

Syetarn Hansakul, Senior Analyst for South-East Asia at The Economist Intelligence Corporate Network, opened ARES 2025 with macro insights on a year of global challenges and outlook for the region heading into 2026.

Simon Mitchell, Co-founder of award-winning design practice Sybarite Architects, then put the design spotlight firmly on "The power of place," highlighting award-winning commissions such as SKP Wuhan.

Simon Mitchell, Co-founder of award-winning design practice Sybarite Architects. (Photo: ARES 2025)

A panel discussion, "The brand premium,” followed, with Bill Barnett, Managing Director of C9 Hotelworks, as moderator.

Leading voices from the hospitality industry discussed the way branded residences are rewriting the rules of value: Jael Fischer, Head of development for Asia Pacific at Six Senses; Lee Lin, Regional Director for APAC at Nobu Hospitality; Penny Trinh, Vice President of mixed-use development at Marriott International; and Saowarin Chanprakaisi, Vice President of business development at The Ascott Limited.

Panel discussion, "The brand premium,” followed, with Bill Barnett, Managing Director of C9 Hotelworks, as moderator. (Photo: ARES 2025)

In one of the summit’s most anticipated portions, broadcast personality Duncan James Simpson, Founder and Director of CyberAI, addressed data security in an AI-driven market.

The afternoon featured a panel on rethinking equity in Asian real estate, moderated by Dr. Nai Jia Lee, Head of real estate intelligence at PropertyGuru Group. Contributing to the conversation were Dr. Jing Yu, Deputy Chief of the Bangkok Programme Office of UN-Habitat; Marine Novita, Co-founder and President Director of MilikiRumah; Dr. Tan Tee Khoon, Executive Council member of the Singapore Institute of Estate Agents; and Anton Wormann, Founder and CEO of Anton in Japan Media.

Further discussions examined the wellness edge in developing communities, moderated by Viona Zhang, Deputy Managing Director of C9 Hotelworks. The panel comprised Christine Li, Head of APAC research at Knight Frank; Dino Sukosol, Co-owner and Director of Sukosol Hotels; Kevin Tai, Licensed physical therapist and Mister Global Taiwan 2023; and Pim Asavahame, Host of the Pimchology podcast.

Ambassador Chantale Wong, Former US Executive Director to the Asian Development Bank, joined the subsequent panel on resilient cities in the era of digital economies.

Tech spotlight by Duncan James Simpson, Founder and Director of CyberAI / Philanthropist / Television & Social Media Personality. (Photo: ARES 2025)

Moderated by Sumitha Soorian, Chief marketing and Commercial officer of Headland, Phuket, the panel also included fresh perspectives from Cyndy Tan Jarabata, President of Tajara Leisure and Hospitality Group; Diep Do, green and resilient building program lead in Vietnam and Thailand for the International Finance Corporation; and Sanjay Popli, Co-founder and group CEO of Cryptomind.

The summit concluded with an international keynote from two-time Olympic gold medallist Panipak “Tennis” Wongpattanakit, who spoke about building resilience through sport and community.

The occasion also served to honour the four ARES Power Women of 2025: Ambassador Chantale Wong; Marine Novita; Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, Executive vice president of The Sukosol Hotels & The Siam and honorary President of the Thai Hotels Association; and Ar. (Dr.) Serina Hijjas, Principal Director of HIJJAS Architects + Planners and president of the Malaysia Green Building Council.

Panel discussion - "Resilient cities in the era of digital economies". (Photo: ARES 2025)

PropertyGuru Week 2025 concluded on 13 December 2025 with Kevin Tai returning to the stage, this time at Cinema Oasis in Bangkok. The Creator spotlight elaborated further on Tai’s experience in health and wellness spaces as well as the use of popular platforms to promote influence with no filters.

Jules Kay, General Manager of PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards and Events, said: “We connect technology with design to bring finance together with sustainability, data with human experience, policy with innovation. All these things come together at ARES.”

He added: “There are more complexities facing Asia and more challenges coming into the markets every year. Whether you build, finance, design, market, regulate, or even seek a property, the influencing forces have an effect.

Our job at PropertyGuru goes beyond listing properties that people can buy. We want to reduce the uncertainty and create trust amongst the people that want to find property across Asia. When we make trusted decisions, those decisions improve and communities improve. Thank you for your continued trust in us as we continue to build trusted marketplaces and, through them, thriving communities.”