Link Real Estate Investment Trust : Appoints John Saunders as Group Chief Investment Officer

Link Asset Management Limited (Link), the manager of Link Real Estate Investment Trust (Link REIT, stock code: 823), today (Wednesday) announced the appointment of John Saunders as Group Chief Investment Officer with effect from 4 March 2024.

In this newly created role, Mr Saunders will be responsible for Link's overall investment strategies, portfolio management and the strategic development of Link's investment business. He will report to George Hongchoy, Link's Chief Executive Officer.

Mr Saunders has over 30 years of experience in the property industry with an exceptionally strong investment track record. He was most recently at BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, as Head of Asia Pacific Real Estate and Global Head of the Real Estate Client business. He sat on the Real Estate Global Executive Committee and was also a voting member of the Real Estate Global Investment Committee. Mr Saunders was, in addition, the sole Portfolio Manager for the Asia Value Add Fund Series (currently Fund V in the series) and was also Portfolio Manager for BlackRock's Asia Core Fund I (Asian Spezialfond).

He joined BlackRock through its merger with MGPA in 2013 when he was the firm's Chief Executive Officer of Asia and the Portfolio Manager of their Asian Property Funds series. Prior to joining MGPA, he worked for CLSA between 1999 and 2007, running their regional property research effort and was instrumental in starting their Asian Property Fund in which he served as an investment committee member. Prior to that, he worked at Hongkong Land from 1994 to 1998 where he was involved with the development and leasing of a number of landmark projects in Singapore and other Asian countries.

"We are delighted to welcome John, who brings with him a wealth of experience and industry know-how, to the Link family. The appointment will enhance the scope and capacity of our management team and will strengthen our capability as we search for new growth avenues and sustainable returns for unitholders under the Link 3.0 strategy," Mr Hongchoy said.

Mr Saunders is a fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and a member of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors. He holds a Diploma in Surveying from the United Kingdom's College of Estate Management.

A picture of Mr Saunders can be downloaded here.

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About Link

Link Real Estate Investment Trust (Hong Kong stock code: 823) is the largest REIT in Asia by market capitalisation. It is managed by Link Asset Management Limited, a leading real estate investor and asset manager in the world. Since its listing in 2005 as the first REIT in Hong Kong, Link REIT has been 100% held by public and institutional investors. It is a constituent of the Hong Kong securities market benchmark Hang Seng Index, as well as a component of the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index, the FTSE4Good Index Series and the Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Index. From its home in Hong Kong, Link Asset Management Limited owns and manages a diversified portfolio including retail facilities, car parks, offices and logistics assets spanning from China's Beijing, Greater Bay Area (Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Shenzhen), and Yangtze River Delta centred around Shanghai, to Singapore, Australia's Sydney and Melbourne and the UK's London. Link Asset Management Limited seeks to extend its portfolio growth trajectory and grasp expansion opportunities in different markets in pursuit of sustainable growth.

For details, please visit https://www.linkreit.com.