Trends Change Very Fast In China These Days

Experience Gained In The Fast-Paced World Of Airport Operations Means That Bhg Retail Reit Ceo Chan Iz-Lynn Is At Ease In The Face Of Rapid Change.

- Jennifer Sijnja

Chan Iz-Lynn has learned, over a career spanning more than two decades and encompassing roles in airport operations, hospitality, and retail property development, that “nothing is impossible”. In 1999, Iz-Lynn became Singapore Airlines’ first female station manager, overseeing airport operations in Frankfurt, New York, Copenhagen and Hong Kong. After six years in this role, she worked for the property developer Far East Organization, before joining Beijing Hualian Group (BHG) and managing more than 20 malls across China. In December 2015, accepting the role of CEO of BHG Retail Trust, Iz-lynn returned to Singapore in time for its IPO. This moment saw the REIT become the first pure-play retail REIT, sponsored by a China-based group, to be successfully listed on the Singapore Exchange.

Born in Johor, Malaysia, Iz-Lynn was determined from a young age to seek her fortune in Singapore, having learned from her parents about the opportunities on offer there. “I left home at the age of eight,” she recalls, “to live with different families, all because I wanted to study in Lee Kuan Yew’s country.” One of the hardest choices she’s made, it was also one of the greatest, and while working for Singapore Airlines Iz-Lynn was given the opportunity to meet with the late LKY, as well as former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

Two global crises in the early 2000s gave rise to some formative moments for Iz-Lynn. “Working in the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and in Hong Kong right after the SARS outbreak were invaluable experiences that taught me the importance of operational readiness as well as the fragility of life,” she tells