Stephen Huggins, President and Co-Founder of the TSI International Land Banking Group, died last Monday, February 10. He was 47.
Sources say that the cause of his death was cardiac arrest.
Huggins, a pioneer in introducing land banking (buying parcels of real estate with plans to later sell or develop on them) to the Japanese market, was born in the UK, but immigrated to Canada in 1975. Growing up in the province of Ontario, Huggins excelled in sports and was a standout member of his high school’s football and basketball teams.
He graduated from Western Ontario University with a degree in Economics, and was the recipient of the university’s prestigious “Purple Blanket” award, given to student-athletes who bring national and international recognition to the school. An avid skier, Huggins also briefly played semiprofessional football.
He took a position in Hong Kong with the financial brokerage firm Marshall’s in 1993. Moving to Tokyo in 1999, he co-founded TSI that same year, and developed the business into an international power with networks around North America, Europe, and Asia. Huggins was a member of the Board of Governors for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan.
Tokyo Weekender profiled Stephen Huggins in our December 2013 issue, and during our interview with him, he spoke about his passion for his work—and most of all, for his family: He leaves behind a wife and daughter.
