Kevin Chan

Chairman and Founder, Store Friendly

Kevin Chan, Kai Ho is the Founder and Chairman of Store Friendly Self Storage Group, which was founded in 2002 and has grown to be the largest self storage provider in Asia with over 130 branches covering Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Singapore. Store Friendly has earned its reputation by providing high-quality service, reliability and convenient location.

Their model is “F.A.S.T.” which means Focus, Action, Search and Tenacity. Kevin was the first person to adopt a smart security system in self storage in Hong Kong, which features dehumidification by air conditioner, restricted access to facilities by Smart Cards & 24-hour online surveillance. At present, Storefriendly manages more than 2 million square feet of GFA and is the largest self storage provider in Asia and garnered 25% market share in Hong Kong. The robust growth from 3 branches in 2002 to over 130 branches in 2024 is the result of Kevin’s efforts of scaling up the business through franchising. Kevin was a founding member of the Asian self storage association and has spoken at numerous self storage events around the world.

Cris Burnam

CEO, StorageMart

Cris Burnam has been in the self-storage industry since 1987, serving as President of StorageMart since 1999 and now CEO. Headquartered in Columbia, Missouri, StorageMart is the largest privately owned company in the industry, with 298 locations across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, comprising approximately 22,000,000 net rentable square feet and revenues in excess of USD $500 million.

In 2021, Cris and the executive team acquired Manhattan Mini Storage, with 17 self storage locations across New York City for circa US$ 3 billion. This acquisition holds the record for largest transaction within the self storage industry.

Cris has been recognized as EY Entrepreneur of the Year for 2014, and was also given the 2014 Torch Award by the Better Business Bureau. Cris is listed as one of Ingram’s Magazine of One of 50 Missourians You Should Know and has been a member of the Forbes Real Estate Council since 2018. In 2008, Cris led the company in its successful $416 million dollar takeover of InStorage REIT, a publicly traded REIT on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The transaction closed in March of 2009, and has since been fully integrated in StorageMart.

Sam Kennard

Owner and CEO, Kennards Self Storage

Kennards Self Storage is a private family-owned company with 92 locations and employing over 270 people in Australia and New Zealand. The business began in 1973 when the first storage spaces were built by Sams father Neville Kennard

Sam joined the company in 1991 when they had just 8 locations, then in 1995 he succeeded Neville and became Managing Director. The company had 14 locations at this time. Having worked running storage centres initially, Sam developed skills in property acquisition and development of self storage.  KSS acquired its major competitor, Millers Self Storage, in 2004, which more than doubled the size of the business instantly. In 2007, the company entered the New Zealand market, where it now has 8 locations.

KSS is the largest private owner-operator of self storage in Australasia. The family company wholly-owns the majority of centres under its brand, while also offering self storage management for select investors.
 

James Gibson

CEO, Big Yellow Group Plc

Sponsored by PTI Access Solutions / DS Security

Jim Gibson was a member of the founding management team of Big Yellow Self Storage in 1998. Big Yellow Self Storage opened its first store in Richmond in May 1999 and 21 years later owns and manages 75 Big Yellow Self Storage centres in the UK across 5.7 million sq ft NLA. Big Yellow Self Storage also manages 25 Armadillo stores across a 1.0 m sq ft platform.  Big Yellow Self Storage is listed as a REIT on the London Stock Exchange in the FTSE 250.

Jim originally qualified as a chartered accountant and worked in professional services with  Arthur Andersen & Co. where he specialised in the property and construction sectors, before leaving in 1989. He then worked in real estate at Heron Property Corporation until 1994, before joining Nick Vetch and Philip Burks at Edge Properties. Edge was a developer of and investor in retail warehousing and sold to Granchester Properties PLC  in 1998. Together, they then founded Big Yellow Self Storage.