Tag Archives: A-Reit

A-Reit manager announces board changes

ASCENDAS Funds Management (AFM), the manager of Ascendas Real Estate Investment Trust (A-Reit), yesterday announced the retirement of Benedict Kwek Gim Song and Swee Kee Siong and the appointment of Koh Soo Keong, Henry Tan Song Kok and Monica Villegas Tomlin as directors with effect from yesterday.

Mr Kwek will also step down as chairman of the audit committee and Mr Swee will step down as a member of the executive committee, with Joseph Chen Seow Chan, currently an audit committee member, taking over the chairmanship.

‘On behalf of the board and management, I would like to thank Benedict Kwek and Swee Kee Siong for their service and counsel to A-Reit since its IPO. Their wisdom, dedication and contributions towards the board and trust for the past seven years have guided A-Reit in its development into the largest business space and industrial Reit in Singapore today. I would like to wish them all the best in their future endeavours,’ said AFM chairman David Wong.

Mr Koh, 58, is a managing director with EcoSave Pte Ltd. He was the president and CEO of SembCorp Logistics for more than eight years and retired in April 2007 after the company was bought over by Toll Holdings. He is also the chairman of the board of Agrifood and Veterinary Authority of Singapore and chairman of AusGroup.

Mr Tan, 45, is the managing director of Nexia TS Pte Ltd and Nexia TS Public Accounting Corporation. Mrs Tomlin, 59, is an independent senior management adviser. Most recently, she held the post of assistant chief executive (planning) at the Singapore Tourism Board, after spending more than 20 years in management consulting with international firms including Arthur D Little and McKinsey & Company.

Source : Business Times – 16 Sep 2009

Moody’s raises outlook for A-Reit to ’stable’

It changes rating to reflect completion of placement issue

MOODY’S Investors Service yesterday changed its ratings outlook for Ascendas Real Estate Investment Trust (A-Reit) from ‘negative’ to ’stable’.

Its outlook for A-Reit’s ‘Baa1′ corporate family and ‘Baa2′ senior unsecured ratings was changed to reflect the completion of A-Reit’s private placement of equity issuance, Moody’s senior analyst Kathleen Lee said.

She expects the $302 million private placement, announced earlier this month, to improve A-Reit’s liquidity and balance sheet position, and enhance its credit metrics.

‘The private placement also reflects A-Reit’s ongoing efforts to improve its capital management thereby strengthening its balance sheet, enhance its financial flexibility and address its previous reliance on revolving uncommitted facilities to support asset growth,’ said Ms Lee.

Moody’s said that it ‘remains cautious of weakness in A-Reit’s operating environment and the new supply of industrial properties coming onstream from 2009 onwards’ but expects this to be manageable within the trust’s current rating, given its good quality assets and improved financial metrics.

A-Reit has a portfolio of 89 properties in Singapore, including business and science park properties, industrial properties, and logistics and distribution centres.

Source : Business Times – 25 Aug 2009