Along with the new president, CVEA prepares for the ASEAN Valuers Association meeting

After a period of inactivity, Cambodian Valuers and Estate Agents Association (CVEA) held an election for a new president. When the final results were tallied, Kim Heang, CEO of Khmer Real Estate, won the presidency.

Running against four candidates, Heang garnered a total of 18 votes while the nearest competitor, Cheng Kheng, CEO of CPL Real Estate, had 10 votes cast in his favor.

When the election results were publically announced last Friday, Heang said he plans to lead the association to the next level of professionalism. One of his primary goals, he said, was to “erase the discrimination towards small companies versus larger companies.”

During his mandate, he also pledged to develop a real estate training centre and actively promote the benefits of CVEA membership.

“What I say, I will do,” he said. “I will succeed in bringing value and fame to this association. I will not invite other companies to join us, but I will show them what benefits they will get by becoming a part of [our team].”

While Heang’s mandate will only last for a year and half due to the fact that his predecessor, Sok Bun, resigned from the position after only serving six months amidst the international scandal that lead to his arrest after he was caught on camera savagely beating former television presenter Ek Socheata, Heang looked forward to the opportunity to strengthen the organization ahead of the chairmanship for the 19th Congress of the ASEAN Valuers Association (AVA) to be held in Phnom Penh in June of 2016.

Heang said that the Congress, which brought in more than 200 regional delegates to Vietnam earlier this year, would both directly and indirectly benefit Cambodia.

For direct benefits the Congress provides a chance for investors to learn more about the Kingdom’s property market, thus attracting further investment, he said. In terms of indirect benefits, the meeting would boost the tourism and hospitality sector with an anticipated 300 to 400 delegates attending the meeting. Cambodia became a member of AVA in 2009.

Mey Vann, director of the Department of Industrial Finance at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, congratulated Heang on his victory and wished for all the members of CVEA to work to together to strengthen the sector “because this association is an important force of the Royal Government in helping this sector grow.”