Of course, here at StorBoss, we talk about the business of self storage. But, as members, you need to know what’s happening at the SSAA. In addition to the webinars and the Self Storage Expo Asia, there’s a lot of work that goes on to support you with networking, data and governance of the Association itself.

Lately, here’s what’s happening.

The Annual Survey is ON! Online form introduced

The surveys are out and many have already filled them in. We’ve introduced an online survey firm to make it easier and many of you have told us you like it!
As a reminder for our newer members (keep an eye on our socials and website for New Members Announcements) the data is collected, anonymised and combined to create an annual report written by the professionals at JLL that describes the state of the industry in Asia. It also includes your forecasting and is a great tool for speaking to partners, landlords and investors. All members have access to past reports.

Your deadline is September 11 to complete the survey. If you’re running late, contact us now at renusharma@selfstorageasia.org if you have questions.

Strengthening the Board

The normal time for appointing Board members is at the AGM. It normally occurs on the morning before the last day of the Expo. The Board can also appoint Board members mid-term who must then be elected at the next AGM.

Board members (excluding the CHair and Vice Chair) have a term limit of 3 consecutive 2 year terms. Recent additions include:

New Directors: Raju Ruparelia (CEO, StorHub) and Tim Alpe (CEO, Extra Space). The two are the CEOs of the biggest multinational companies in Asia with operations stretching from Japan to Australia.

Cover Stars: New Board members Raju Ruparelia (CEO, StorHub) and Tim Alpe (CEO, Extra Space Asia)

You can read more about them in recent editions of StorBoss here:

Raju Ruparelia: StorHub’s Excelsior Play: Above and Beyond with Next Gen CEO Raju Ruparelia
Raju Ruparelia story in Japanese here.

Tim Alpe: No Vacancy: Master Hotelier Finds Opportunity in Empty Units

We also welcome to the Board Yasuo Hagiwara (COO, Quraz). Mr Hagiwara has over 20 years experience with Quraz and is a pillar of Japan’s largest institution grade operator.

In addition, our Supplier representative on the Board, Miles Davison (CEO and Co-Founder, Storeganise) also has deep experience in finance and had stepped in to help out as Acting Treasurer. His role as Treasurer was recently formalised. Congratulations - and thank you for your service!

Supplier members can still count on him as your representative and contact him with any suggestions you might have.

Departing Board Members included Michael Hagbeck of Forge Self Storage. Gratitude is extended to Mike Hagbeck following the retirement of the interim Investor Supplier seat (see below).

The association thanks long-standing Treasurer Steve Spohn, who has stepped down for personal reasons after years of dedicated service. We look forward to his return to the fray as soon as possible!

Updating the Constitution

Three constitutional changes were adopted at the AGM to streamline governance, bring the Constitution in line with recent events, and broaden operator representation:

Nominee Oversight (Clause 17.1): Confirms the board's final authority to verify candidate eligibility against professional requirements. This codifies board oversight while upholding high professional standards for prospective directors.
Small Operator Seat (Clause 17.2): Replaces the former Investor Supplier seat with a post reserved for small operators managing 1–4 sites (minimum 400 units and 1,500 m²). This will ideally lowers barriers to entry to ensure smaller operators are represented on the board.
"One Member Only" Rule (Clause 17.2(h)): Explicitly bars single corporate entities from occupying multiple board seats simultaneously, setting clear resolution protocols for corporate consolidation and mergers. There previously existed a norm of only having one person maximum per company on the Board. This measure formalises an existing practice that was in practice to prevent concentrated corporate control on the board.

If you have questions about these and other issues or would like to contribute to the discussion, please contact andrewwork@selfstorageasia.org