The most consequential retail developments often begin far from the site itself. For Heather Nguyen, they begin overseas. As managing director of Asia Pacific Advisory Services, executive vice president and development partner at NewQuest, Nguyen has spent decades traveling internationally to identify emerging retail concepts and bring them to U.S. markets. Her work centers on curation, timing and alignment, turning global ideas into resilient domestic destinations that feel both distinctive and durable.
“Heather has traveled to multiple countries to bring concepts back to the states where they open highly successful stores,” the person who nominated Nguyen said. “Many of those stores are in redevelopments that she has been instrumental in pulling together.”
Nguyen joined NewQuest in 2000 and has since helped shape some of the firm’s most prominent retail developments and repositionings. Her portfolio includes projects such as The Shops at Pearland Parkway, Carrollton Town Center, Frisco Ranch Shopping Center and The Shops at Katy Grand, West on West as well as recent developments and redevelopments in Arizona, Georgia and Illinois. Across more than 30 years in commercial real estate, she has facilitated over $10 billion in transactions, combining development insight with deep leasing expertise.
What sets Nguyen apart is not just her global perspective, but her discipline. Every project she touches is guided by a careful curation of a tenant mix that brings the richness of the Asian cultural experience together in one destination, allowing visitors to engage with it locally rather than having to travel abroad.
“One of the biggest challenges I encountered early in my career was entering an industry that is heavily relationship-driven at a time when there were very few women—and even fewer Asians—in commercial real estate. When I started over 30 years ago, I often found myself as the only Asian woman in the room, navigating spaces where long-standing relationships already dictated opportunity. I realized early on that competing for the same opportunities wasn’t where I could add the most value—I needed to create my own lane,” Nguyen said.
Her strength lies in bridging two worlds—combining a deep understanding of Asian brands with the ability to translate that insight into successful U.S. market launches. Recognizing a clear gap in the market, she developed retail centers that created a platform for Asian concepts capable of resonating with mainstream audiences, at a time when such opportunities simply did not exist.
“That clarity led me to focus on serving the Asian business community and creating a platform for Asian companies to successfully enter and scale in the U.S. market. I often saw strong Asian concepts overlooked by major landlords—not because they lacked quality, but because the brands and business models were unfamiliar. I understood those concepts, their cultural nuances, and their operational needs, and I knew I could bridge that gap. That became my niche and my strength: helping Asian brands strategize, secure real estate, and launch successfully in the U.S. .”
Her work often centers on entrepreneurs, particularly international brands entering the U.S. market for the first time. Nguyen sees those relationships as collaborative rather than transactional, built on trust, preparation and follow-through.
“Working with entrepreneurs and meeting incredibly inspiring people is what I enjoy most,” Nguyen said. “I love building relationships, connecting people, and helping entrepreneurs think through solutions and strategies that support their success and long-term growth.”
That relationship-driven approach has earned Nguyen widespread industry recognition, including multiple Top Producer Awards, the CoStar Community Impact Award, Houston Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business and H Texas Magazine’s Women in Business honor. She has served on boards including Commercial Gateway and the Midtown Redevelopment Authority and remains active with ICSC.
Outside of real estate, Nguyen and her husband, Dr. Shawn Taher, co-founded Toys Fore Kids Foundation, a nonprofit supporting organizations such as Texas Children’s Hospital, Driscoll’s Children’s Hospital, Kidz Harbor Foster Care, Santa Maria Hostel and the Houston Area Women’s Shelter. Family time and travel remain central to her life, reinforcing the curiosity and cultural fluency that shape her professional work.
For Nguyen, successful retail is never accidental. It is curated, sequenced and built on relationships that span borders. The result is development that feels both global in perspective and grounded in execution, shaping destinations that last well beyond the opening day.
