# Desmond Sim to leave Realion Group after steering ETC-OrangeTee merger - **Source:** EdgeProp Singapore - **Published:** 2026-09-17T08:48:19.000Z - **Author:** Cecilia Chow - **Original:** https://www.edgeprop.sg/property-news/desmond-sim-leave-realion-group-after-steering-etc-orangetee-merger - **Topics:** Commercial & Industrial, Transactions & Deals ## Featured rationale The interim appointments of Justin Quek and Christopher Ng may provide operational continuity while Realion integrates ETC and OrangeTee and prepares its leadership succession. ## AI summary Realion Group CEO and ETC CEO Desmond Sim will begin gardening leave on Sept 21 and officially depart on Oct 31. ## Original article Desmond Sim, group CEO of Realion Group and CEO of ETC, has decided to step down and will begin gardening leave effective Sept 21. His official last day will be Oct 31, according to an internal memo seen by EdgeProp Singapore. According to the memo, in the interim, Justin Quek, deputy group CEO of Realion Group, will step in to oversee the group's leadership and operations, while Christopher Ng, group chief corporate officer, will oversee ETC's operations. "Leadership succession preparation is well underway, and we will make the leadership announcement at the appropriate time," says Ng. Read also: High Point back on market at $580 mil in sixth collective sale attempt “Importantly, the group’s strategic direction and priorities remain unchanged,” says the memo. “The plans and initiatives already underway across our businesses will continue to move forward, as we build on the foundations established and remain focused on our longer-term goals for Realion Group and its entities.” Sim’s departure comes more than five years after he joined ETC, formerly Edmund Tie & Co., in June 2021, initially as deputy CEO. He took over as CEO of ETC from Ong Choon Fah the following month as part of a generational leadership transition at the homegrown real estate consultancy. Before joining ETC, Sim spent nine years at CBRE, where he led research for Singapore and Southeast Asia, and a decade at JLL. At ETC, Sim was tasked with transforming and growing the business, developing talent and strengthening its position as a homegrown real estate services firm. His tenure subsequently coincided with one of the most significant periods of corporate change in the firm’s 30-year history. Edmund Tie & Co. was rebranded as ETC in January 2025, ahead of its merger with OrangeTee Group the following month. The two companies were brought together under Realion Group, a new holding company, with Sim appointed group CEO and OrangeTee CEO Justin Quek appointed deputy group CEO. Following the merger, ETC and OrangeTee retained their respective brands. ETC focuses on real estate consultancy and advisory services, while OrangeTee houses the group’s real estate agency and proptech businesses. Read also: Many paths, one shared success: How Alex Goh builds the next generation of real estate leaders Christopher Ng, Realion Group's chief corporate officer, is the youngest son of Realion Group chairman Roland Ng, who is also managing director and group CEO of Tat Hong Holdings. Investment vehicles associated with the Ng family fully own ETC and are shareholders in Realion Group. When the merger was announced in February 2025, the combined group had more than 520 staff at ETC and 2,803 property agents at OrangeTee & Tie. The merger built on a relationship between the two companies dating back to 2017, when the former Edmund Tie and OrangeTee combined their agency businesses to form OrangeTee & Tie. Since the merger, Realion has been integrating shared corporate functions while expanding the group’s regional network and partnerships. ETC has operations and affiliates in Malaysia and Thailand, while the group has also deepened its links with Japan through shareholder Tokyu Livable. The leadership change at Realion follows another at a major real estate consultancy less than two months earlier. Galven Tan stepped down as CEO of Knight Frank Singapore in late July after 2½ years at the helm, with deputy CEO Low Kin Hon taking over as interim CEO. Knight Frank said Tan had resigned to pursue new opportunities. When asked to comment on his departure, Sim says he feels “the timing is right, having seen the firm through a rebranding, the establishment of strategic partnerships and, most recently, a merger — things a CEO doesn’t get to do every day”. Read also: Why freehold food factories are strategic and stable investment assets He adds: “I think it’s time for me to focus on my personal strengths and interests.” ## Chinese translation > Translation model: openai_codex_cli ### Desmond Sim 在推动 ETC-OrangeTee 合并后将离开 Realion Group Desmond Sim 将卸任 Realion Group 集团 CEO；在其任内，Edmund Tie 更名为 ETC，并与 OrangeTee 合并。 Realion Group 集团 CEO 兼 ETC CEO Desmond Sim 已决定卸任，并将从 9月21日起开始园艺假。根据 EdgeProp Singapore 看到的一份内部备忘录，他的正式最后工作日将是 10月31日。 根据该备忘录，在过渡期间，Realion Group 副集团 CEO Justin Quek 将接手监督集团的领导层和运营，而集团首席企业官 Christopher Ng 将监督 ETC 的运营。 “领导层继任准备工作正在有序推进，我们将在适当时候公布领导层任命，”Ng 表示。 相关阅读：High Point 第六次尝试集体出售/en bloc，以 5.8亿新元重返市场 “重要的是，集团的战略方向和优先事项保持不变，”备忘录称。“我们各业务板块已在推进的计划和举措将继续向前推进；我们将在已建立的基础上继续发展，并保持专注于 Realion Group 及其实体的较长期目标。” Sim 离职距离他于 2021年6月加入 ETC 已超过五年。ETC 前身为 Edmund Tie & Co.，他最初担任副 CEO。作为这家本土房地产咨询公司代际领导层交接的一部分，他在次月接替 Ong Choon Fah 出任 ETC CEO。 在加入 ETC 之前，Sim 曾在 CBRE 工作九年，负责新加坡和东南亚研究业务，并曾在 JLL 工作十年。 在 ETC，Sim 负责转型和发展业务、培养人才，并加强其作为本土房地产服务公司的地位。其任期随后也与该公司 30年历史上最重要的企业变革时期之一重合。 Edmund Tie & Co. 于 2025年1月更名为 ETC，随后在次月与 OrangeTee Group 合并。两家公司被整合至新的控股公司 Realion Group 旗下，Sim 被任命为集团 CEO，OrangeTee CEO Justin Quek 被任命为副集团 CEO。 合并后，ETC 和 OrangeTee 保留各自品牌。ETC 专注于房地产咨询和顾问服务，而 OrangeTee 则承载集团的房地产代理和房地产科技业务。 相关阅读：多条路径，一个共同成功：Alex Goh 如何培养下一代房地产领袖 Realion Group 首席企业官 Christopher Ng 是 Realion Group 主席 Roland Ng 的幼子，后者同时也是 Tat Hong Holdings 的董事总经理兼集团 CEO。与 Ng 家族相关的投资工具全资拥有 ETC，并且是 Realion Group 的股东。 2025年2月宣布合并时，合并后的集团在 ETC 拥有超过 520名员工，在 OrangeTee & Tie 拥有 2,803名房地产经纪。 此次合并建立在两家公司可追溯至 2017年的关系之上，当时前 Edmund Tie 与 OrangeTee 合并其代理业务，成立 OrangeTee & Tie。 自合并以来，Realion 一直在整合共享企业职能，同时扩大集团的区域网络和合作伙伴关系。ETC 在马来西亚和泰国拥有业务和关联机构，而集团也通过股东 Tokyu Livable 加深了与日本的联系。 Realion 的领导层变动发生在另一家主要房地产咨询公司领导层变动不到两个月之后。Galven Tan 在掌舵 2年半后，于 7月底卸任 Knight Frank Singapore CEO，由副 CEO Low Kin Hon 接任临时 CEO。Knight Frank 表示，Tan 辞职是为了寻求新的机会。 当被要求评论其离职时，Sim 表示，他觉得“时机是合适的，因为我已带领公司完成了品牌重塑、战略伙伴关系的建立，以及最近的一次合并——这些并不是 CEO 每天都有机会做的事情”。 相关阅读：为什么永久地契食品工厂是战略性且稳定的投资资产 他补充说：“我认为现在是时候让我专注于自己的个人优势和兴趣了。”