David Nieh 聂耀中
About
David Nieh is a well-regarded leader in sustainability and climate change through his vast cross-border property development projects. His work integrates social equity with environmental regeneration and economic benefit, and has won many awards including for ULI Global Excellence and for sustainable development.
He is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Clear Peak Group, responsible for introducing sustainable development models, and leading services spanning investment, development, project management, construction and asset management. David previously served as Head of China for international developer Lendlease, and prior as General Manager for Shui On Land in Shanghai, where he developed large mixed-use communities in the “Xintiandi” or “New Heaven on Earth” model in the center of top tier Chinese cities. He also developed the Knowledge Innovation Community projects at city sub-centers integrating live-work-play-learn environments and operations into dynamic, entrepreneurial communities, including the first Chinese business accelerator in Silicon Valley, InnoSpring, in partnership with Silicon Valley Bank and Tsinghua University Science Park.
A registered architect and certified planner, as well as an accredited professional in sustainable design, David was founding studio head for Skidmore, Owings and Merrill’s Shanghai office and was the chief architect for the City of San Jose and Redevelopment Agency, where he was responsible for the design and permitting of 22 downtown public private partnership projects of multifarious uses, as well as many community centers and branch libraries in the surrounding neighborhoods. He has taught architecture, urban design, and urban studies at Stanford University where he was also an adjunct faculty member of the Graduate School of Business in the Center for Social Innovation.
David currently serves as a Board Member of the Energy Foundation, SPUR, and Executive Committee Member of the Urban Land Institute. He is also an appointed advisor to China Development Bank Capital, China Nobel Forum, and the US-China Clean Energy Forum. He previously served on boards including the Global Reporting Initiative, Pacific Basin Economic Council / APEC CEO Summit, Stanford Program on Regional Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Cogswell College.
David earned a Masters in Urban Design from Harvard University, a Masters of Architecture from the University of California-Berkeley and an Executive Leadership Certificate from INSEAD.
Architects of Destiny | David Nieh 聂耀中 | TEDxShanghai