PropertyGuru’s Lewis Ng on growing marketplaces that matter

Early on in his career, Lewis Ng knew where he wanted to be: at the intersection of marketplaces, innovation, and Southeast Asia.

After stints at Apple, Tripadvisor, Carousell, and Seek Asia, Lewis now finds himself in the CEO role for the first time. Now, four months into his tenure at PropertyGuru, Lewis joins the 60/40 podcast for a wide-ranging conversation that covers his views on leadership, the importance of building trust in digital ecosystems, and the reason he still believes in the power of marketplaces.

“There’s a real responsibility that comes with this seat – and also a huge opportunity,” Lewis says. “Marketplaces, when done right, are some of the most impactful platforms out there.”

In this episode, hosted by Seek group CEO Peter Bithos, the two industry veterans explore:

• From generalist to operator: How Lewis charted his transition from telco and media into deep marketplace operations
• Focus over expansion: Why the company is narrowing its strategy to strengthen core markets
• The private equity partnership: What it’s like to work with active ownership under EQT, and how it shapes decision-making
• AI as an enabler: How the tech can automate listing creation and boost content quality for real estate professionals

Lewis also reflects on the transition from CXO to CEO – what felt familiar, what surprised him, and how he’s keeping people and culture at the heart of PropertyGuru’s growth story.

“The real win is to build a business that’s not just big, but also trusted, responsible, and admired,” he says.

Listen to the full episode on your preferred platform: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: property markets up, PropertyGuru up
Lewis explains why PropertyGuru does well in both hot and cold markets.

01:20 – Welcome to 60/40
Peter introduces the show and Lewis Ng, filling in for Maria and Prashanth.

02:10 – Tech headlines
Nvidia’s market cap hits US$4 trillion, McDonald’s AI bot gets hacked (with “123456” as the password), and Foxconn shifts its strategy in India.

07:25 – Career rewind: from telesales to the C-suite
Lewis’s journey across Telstra, Apple, News Corp, Tripadvisor, Carousel, Seek, and now CEO at PropertyGuru.

08:45 – What is PropertyGuru?
Lewis gives an overview of the platform and its markets.