Lendlease has appointed Justin Gabbani as its chief executive officer for Asia based in Singapore, with effect from 1 June 2021. He will succeed current Asia CEO, Tony Lombardo, who has been named group CEO-designate in February 2021.
Mr Gabbani joined Lendlease in 2003 and most recently held the role of chief financial officer for Asia. In this position, he was responsible for key functions across Asia including finance, investment & capital markets, research, and strategy.
Prior to that, Mr Gabbani served as head of investment & capital markets (Asia and Europe) responsible for investments, capital raising, investor relations, product development and research across both Asia and Europe. During his time with Lendlease, he has held various roles in the investment management and development businesses.
In addition, Lendlease has appointed Deborah (Deb) Yates as its chief people officer based in Sydney, Australia, with effect from 1 July 2021. Her appointment follows the resignation of the company’s group head of people & culture, Alex Christie.
Ms Yates joins Lendlease after a 25-year career working across all areas of HR. In her current role as KPMG’s national managing partner for people and corporate affairs, Ms Yates has led its people strategy with a particular focus on creating a mentally healthy culture that empowers people to successfully execute the organisation’s strategy.
Prior to joining KPMG, Ms Yates served as chief HR officer at Reckitt Benckiser, a FTSE Top 15 company with more than 40,000 employees across 60 countries. This included leading the talent agenda, culture and major projects including integrating significant acquisitions. Her career with Reckitt Benckiser began in Australia and took her to the Netherlands, the US and the UK.
“I am delighted to announce the appointment of Justin Gabbani as Lendlease’s chief executive officer Asia and Deb Yates as the group’s new chief people officer,” said Mr Lombardo. “Commencing his career at Lendlease in 2003 as part of our graduate programme, Justin has held a number of strategic roles across the group including the past four and a half years as our Asia CFO. Justin has been based in Singapore since 2011 and is well credentialed to lead our Asia business as we progress a range of significant opportunities across the region.”
Mr Lombardo added, “As our newly appointed chief people officer, Deb comes to Lendlease with more than 25 years’ experience leading the people functions of a range of high-profile organisations and companies. Deb’s strong track record in working alongside people to develop their skills and capabilities, as well as driving inclusion and diversity, makes her well placed to make a significant contribution to our 9,500-strong global workforce.”
Steve McCann, Lendlease’s group CEO also commented: “I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Justin and Deb on their respective appointments. Their demonstrated skills and expertise will bring valuable new perspectives to Lendlease’s global leadership team as the group continues to execute against its record US$110 billion global development pipeline.
“I’d also like to thank Alex Christie for his outstanding contribution to Lendlease during the past 11 years and wish him the very best in the next stage of his career.”
