OUR TEAM

Paul is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and a chartered surveyor. During his 18 years at Jones Lang Wootton (now JLL) he worked in Dublin, London, Hong Kong and Thailand where he founded the Thai operations for the firm and became an international partner.

Following the Asian financial crisis in 1997, Paul founded investment and development companies targeted in the warehousing and distribution space. These companies include companies like Unilever and Nidec in their portfolios. He also participated in the management of property funds investing in the UK and Ireland.

Paul has been the President of the Irish Thai Chamber of Commerce Since 2009 and a Director of the Thai Board of Trade since 2014 where he advocates on behalf of foreign business in Thailand. He is a member of the Royal Bangkok Sports Club.

Paul has been a long term investor in education in Thailand and views education as the most important factor in Asia continuing its rapid growth in the global markets.

Iwan Lloyd is the Head of Asia at East Eight, with responsibility for developing current and new projects alongside key members of the East Eight team. His responsibilities also include leading East Eight investor relations, plus the Education and Research teams within the company.

Iwan has grown within the organisation having previously held a Head of Department role, and through this he gained a thorough understanding of the business and its vision.

Before joining East Eight, Iwan worked within the education sector in Abu Dhabi. His role included a senior leadership role within Brighton College, a reputable British International School based in Abu Dhabi. His experience within the education sector has enabled him to understand the needs and nuances of the international educational market and how best to develop and lead critical educational initiatives on a global perspective.

John Simmonds supports East Eight as an advisor. John has over 35 years of experience in programme, project and construction management ensuring flawless execution and delivery. John most recently worked on the delivery of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s first supertall, commercial building situated in the King Abdulla Finance District; due to become the new heart of Riyadh when it opens.

John possesses an outstanding knowledge of international business development, project acquisition and management as well as the delivery of major infrastructure and building projects across key sectors (including hospitality and leisure, healthcare, manufacturing, oil and gas and transportation and logistics). John has acted as project director for projects including the Euro Disney Theme Park in Paris, France and the Palm Jumeriah in Dubai, UAE.

Before joining us, John held roles with the likes of Taylor Woodrow, KBR, Nakheel and Currie & Brown.

Claire Harrison is the Chief of Staff at East Eight with overall responsible for the company’s workforce operations.

Claire has spent 12+ years working for Board members & C-level executives in top global companies. She is highly regarded for her professionalism, communication, judgment and integrity and has exceptional organisational and people management skills. Claire has worked in London, Abu Dhabi and Australia.

Claire works alongside East Eight’s Board of Directors and Operating Committee to ensure optimal workforce planning across our corporate structure and project teams. Claire also leads East Eight’s support functions including HR, IT and Administrative support, working with functional leads on delivery of their objectives. A very reliable pair of hands, with the diplomacy and judgement to deliver difficult tasks in today’s modern & challenging business environment.

Mark Evans the Head of Marketing at East Eight, responsible for the East Eight brand as well as assisting and delivering design for the marketing of East Eight’s client projects.

From printed advertising, logo design, web design, stationary, mock-ups, animation and promotional video, Mark has been delivering top end design as well as marketing concepts, strategies, and solutions for small, medium, and large businesses across the globe for over a decade. Some of Mark’s previous clients include Starbucks UK, Denny’s, Honeywell, Subway, Pizza Hut and Nexus Energy UK, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Etihad Airways.

Mark also specialises in online marketing which has helped drive new business from online strategies for start-ups and traditional bricks and mortar businesses allowing them to thrive with the power of search engine optimisation, conversion strategies and analytical data analysis.

Marketing and design go hand in hand, and this is something that Mark clearly displays when approaching a new project. By asking the right questions at the start, this helps with accurate delivery of client expectations and demands. Communication is one of the keys to the successful design and delivery of project marketing campaigns at East Eight.

Jemma Williams is the Human Resources (HR) Manager at East Eight, with overall responsibility for the HR activities across both East Eight and its projects.

A Masters-qualified, Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Jemma started her HR career in the UK, working for construction giants Balfour Beatty. She subsequently gained experience in the Retail and Shipping industries before joining East Eight in 2020.

A results driven individual with a passion for understanding and acting on both management and employee needs, Jemma recognises that regardless of location, the HR function must balance the  needs of any and all stakeholders, striving to meet short-term financial goals, whilst keeping focus on  long-term organisational health, people and performance. Jemma is a true HR generalist with experience in the creation and delivery of HR strategy, recruitment and retention, change  management, performance management, reward and benefits and overall employee relations.

Bobur Isaev is a Financial Analyst at East Eight, joining the investment team in 2019. He works closely with the Finance Director, CEO and Head of Asia to develop feasibility analyses, financial modelling, forecasting and capital budgeting for the company’s projects. He also prepares economic reports on countries, cities, and investor analysis, contributing to investment decisions for East Eight’s investors.

Bobur spent his early career in the banking and pharmaceutical industries. He worked for a leading pharmaceutical manufacturer in Uzbekistan, where he carried out monthly financial reports and analysis. Before joining East Eight, he gained valuable experience within the property management sector, where he performed financial forecasting, reporting, modelling, and budgeting to assist with identifying market trends and top management decision-making.

Bobur holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Wales in Uzbekistan.

Salin Subran is the IT Manager at East Eight, responsible for providing IT support for overall IT function including infrastructure, applications and projects.

Salin is a CCIE Certified Engineering graduate with 9 years of experience working with different Multi-national Companies including Servcorp, European Union Delegation, Etihad Airways, Bank of Montreal, Northern Trust, Maersk Oil Middle East etc. During his career in UAE, he invested his time in several certifications in Cisco and Microsoft courses and also involved in setting up IT Infrastructure for Servcorp in Iran, Brussels, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

His expertise spans across various areas including homogeneous and heterogeneous network environments and possess an in-depth knowledge in both Network and Server operating systems. He is also highly passionate about job responsibilities and cope well with high-stress situations, managing a variety of projects simultaneously.