Stephen Owens, who led Swire Properties’ development of Brickell Key and Brickell City Centre, will retire as president in 2017.Owens, who has been with the U.S real estate arm of Hong Kong-based Swire Pacific for 40 years, will stay on until the first phase of Brickell City Centre is completed in January 2017. Then he will become a senior advisor and Kieran Bowers will become president of Swire Properties."For the past 40 years, Stephen has provided invaluable leadership and has been instrumental to the company’s investment and growth in the U.S.," said Guy Bradley, chief executive of Swire Properties. "We thank Stephen for his contribution to the group and to Swire Properties. His key role in the development of Brickell Key and now Brickell City Centre, our new mixed-used project in Miami, is testament to his expertise and skill as the leader of our U.S. operations.”Swire Properties launched in Miami in 1979 and made the offices, hotels and residences on Brickell Key its signature project. Now it’s topped that in size with the $1.05 billion, 5.4 million-square-foot Brickell City Centre, which includes condos, a hotel, retail, offices and entertainment in a project that should reshape the fabric of the neighborhood.Having joined Swire Properties in 1976 and becoming president in 1985, Owens was there for all of it.“We have been operating in Miami for over 30 years, and we remain committed to our long-term development in the city,” Bradley said. "We are very excited about embarking on a new chapter with the imminent opening of Brickell City Centre, and are delighted that we can continue to benefit from Stephen‘s wealth of knowledge and experience as he continues to serve the company in an advisory capacity. “Bowers has been with Swire Pacific since 1998 and is currently the general manager of Cityplaza in Hong Kong, a 3.27 million-square-foot project with a mall, office towers and a hotel.
Bowers will take over as the company's responsibility shifts to overseeing the mall at Brickell City Centre. The project still has rights for more development, including One Brickell City Centre, an 80-story tower.