Toronto-headquartered real estate investment and asset management firm Starlight Investments has strengthened its Asia-Pacific leadership team with the appointment of Tae Kyoung (TK) Gong as Vice President, Global Markets, Asia and the Pacific.
Based in Seoul, Gong will lead regional engagement with institutional investors and strategic partners, supporting the firm’s capital development and market expansion activities across key Asia-Pacific jurisdictions.
The appointment signals a deliberate move by Starlight to deepen its relationships within Korea’s sophisticated institutional investment landscape, one of Asia’s most globally integrated sources of outbound real estate capital.
Institutional pedigree and cross-border expertise
Gong joins Starlight from Mirae Asset Global Investments, where he most recently served as Head of the Overseas Real Estate Investment team. In that role, he led global acquisitions spanning North America, Europe and Asia, overseeing more than C$1bn ($730m) in assets under management.
His earlier career included advisory experience at KPMG, providing him with exposure to institutional structuring, transaction execution and cross-border capital deployment strategies.
Across 14 years in investment management and advisory roles, Gong has developed a track record centred on global real estate allocation and institutional portfolio construction. His experience navigating multiple markets positions him to connect Asia-based capital with international opportunities, particularly in sectors aligned with Starlight’s multi-residential and commercial strategies.
Strengthening Asia-Pacific engagement
Starlight’s decision to appoint a Seoul-based vice president for Global Markets reflects the firm’s increasing emphasis on regional capital relationships. Korea has emerged as a major outbound investor in global real estate over the past decade, with pension funds, insurance groups and asset managers expanding allocations beyond domestic markets.
By securing leadership with deep familiarity in Korea’s institutional ecosystem, Starlight is positioning itself to enhance dialogue with long-term capital partners and broaden its access to Asia-Pacific investment channels.
The hire coincides with the establishment of Starlight’s Asia-Pacific headquarters in Seoul, located at the International Finance Centre Seoul in the Yeouido Business District. The office will support regional relationship management, partnership development and broader market engagement activities as the firm expands its international platform.
Raj Mehta, President, Global Markets at Starlight Investments, said the move reflects the company’s long-term commitment to the region and its strategic importance within the global capital landscape.
Expanding a global platform
Headquartered in Toronto, Starlight Investments manages approximately C$30bn ($21.8bn) in assets under management and oversees a portfolio of more than 70,000 multi-residential suites and over seven million square feet of commercial property.
As global real estate managers compete for diversified capital sources amid shifting macroeconomic conditions, leadership appointments with local institutional expertise are increasingly central to growth strategies. Gong’s cross-border background, spanning Korea, Japan and the United States, provides Starlight with both regional credibility and international investment fluency.
With Asia-Pacific continuing to play a pivotal role in global capital flows, the appointment underscores Starlight’s intent to embed itself more deeply within one of the world’s most influential investment regions.
