Sasseur Asset Management Pte. Ltd. (SAMPL), the manager of Sasseur Real Estate Investment Trust (Sasseur REIT), is pleased to announce that Sasseur REIT has clinched three awards in November: the highly esteemed Corporate Excellence and Resilience Award at the Singapore Corporate Awards (SCA) 2020/2021 (Special Edition) held on 17 November 2021, Best Governed and Transparent Company (Gold) and Best Corporate Communications & Investor Relations (Gold) at the Global Good Governance Awards(TM) held on 16 November 2021.
Ms Cecilia Tan, CEO of SAMPL, said, “We are extremely delighted and gratified to receive this highly esteemed Singapore Corporate Awards. This year’s award is a special edition where it specifically recognises winning companies’ efforts in upholding best practices in corporate governance and demonstrating leadership, innovation and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. For Sasseur REIT, this award carries great significance. Faced with unprecedented challenges in the business environment brought about by the pandemic since early 2020, we remained steadfast in the midst of high levels of uncertainty and disruption, and kept our focus on prioritising the health and safety of employees, customers and tenants while continuing to optimise the REIT’s operating and financial performance. Under the dynamic and courageous leadership of our Board Chairman Mr Vito Xu and the commitment of our Board of Directors, Sasseur REIT will emerge stronger and more resilient from the pandemic. This award is also a testament to the excellent teamwork by both the REIT manager team in Singapore and the Sponsor team in China in rising above the challenges.”
This has been a bumper year for Sasseur REIT where to-date the REIT has received four awards in recognition of its excellence in corporate governance and investor relations efforts, and witnessed marked improvement in its rankings in two well-known corporate governance indices. Our focus on strong corporate governance, transparency and proactive investor relations has raised Sasseur REIT’s profile, visibility and credibility in the marketplace.” she said.
Singapore Corporate Awards 2020/2021 (Special Edition)
In its debut participation in the SCA, Sasseur REIT emerged victorious among a strong lineup of SGX-listed companies shortlisted for the Corporate Excellence and Resilience Award in the mid-cap category (market capitalisation of S$300 million to less than S$1 billion as at 31 December 2020).
The winner was selected via a rigorous three-stage process, including screening of public information, benchmarking of corporate governance indices and analysis of financial performance. The shortlist is then refined through research and inquiries before a final interview with the senior management and selected board of directors by a panel of judges. Companies are screened based on several metrics, including Corporate Governance, Financial Resilience, Strategic and Operational Excellence and People Management.
Launched in 2005, the Singapore Corporate Awards seeks to recognise and reinforce the notion that strong performance is underpinned by high standards of corporate governance. Excellence in corporate leadership and good dynamics between board and management helps build resilience to the challenging environment, and serve as a role model for other companies to emulate. SCA is organised by the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants, Singapore Institute of Directors and The Business Times, supported by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority and the SGX.
Global Good Governance Awards(TM) 2021 (16 November 2021)
Sasseur REIT clinched two awards at the Global Good Governance Awards(TM) organised by The Pinnacle Group International on 16 November 2021, namely Best Governed and Transparent Company (Gold) and Best Corporate Communications & Investor Relations (Gold), for the category of companies with market capitalisation with USD 500 million to USD 1 billion.
The Best Governed and Transparent Company Award (Gold) was judged based on Sasseur REIT’s strong track record of financial disclosure, transparency and corporate governance, as well as its efforts towards corporate social responsibility. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of Environmental, Social and Governance was accelerated, and the Board of SAMPL had set out a strategic direction to ensure strong corporate governance was upheld, on top of delivering robust financial results. These efforts were showcased in the Sustainability Report section of the 2020 annual report of Sasseur REIT.
The Best Corporate Communications & Investor Relations Award (Gold) highlighted Sasseur REIT’s proactive and high touch-point investor relations approach. During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sasseur REIT provided swift, clear and comprehensive updates to the public through its timely, prompt and clear communications. The REIT’s website was enhanced by revamping the “Analyst Coverage” section to give investors easy access to analyst reports. In addition to press releases and quarterly results updates, the Investor Relations team also regularly posts videos of Sasseur REIT’s outlet events on its website.
Recently, Sasseur REIT has also received another award and improved its corporate governance rankings such as:
(1) SIAS Investors’ Choice Awards 2021 (12 October 2021)
On 12 October 2021, Sasseur REIT was awarded the Runner-up in the Singapore Corporate Governance Award for the REITs & Business Trusts category at the SIAS Investors’ Choice Awards 2021.
Sasseur REIT was recognised for its high standards of corporate governance, despite being a relatively young REIT on the SGX. Winners were selected based on their ability to uphold shareholders’ rights and equitable treatment, transparency and timeliness of disclosures, sustainability disclosures as well as accountability and audit matters.
(2) GIFT ranking (11 November 2021)
In the fifth edition of the Governance Index for Trust (“GIFT”), Sasseur REIT rose to 20th place from 34th place a year ago, a testament to its high standards of corporate governance. Supported by the Singapore Exchange, GIFT examines the governance and business risk of the 45 Singapore-listed (and currently trading) trusts listed in Singapore.
(3) Singapore Governance and Transparency Index (4 August 2021)
In recognition of its strong governance standards, Sasseur REIT’s ranking in the Singapore Governance and Transparency Index (“SGTI”) improved from 25th in 2020 to 17th position in 2021. Jointly conducted by CPA Australia, NUS Business School’s Centre for Governance and Sustainability and the Singapore Institute of Directors, the annual SGTI assesses companies on their corporate governance disclosures and practices, as well as timeliness, accessibility and transparency of their financial results announcements.
About Sasseur REIT
Sasseur REIT is the first retail outlet mall REIT listed in Asia. Sasseur REIT offers investors the unique opportunity to invest in the fast-growing retail outlet mall sector in the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”) through its initial portfolio of four quality retail outlet mall assets strategically located in fast-growing cities in China such as Chongqing, Kunming and Hefei, with a net lettable area of 312,784 square metres.
Sasseur REIT is established with the investment strategy to investing principally, directly or indirectly, in a diversified portfolio of income-producing real estate which is used primarily for retail outlet mall purposes, as well as real estate related assets in relation to the foregoing, with an initial focus on Asia. For more information on Sasseur REIT, please visit http://www.sasseurreit.com/
About the Manager – SASSEUR ASSET MANAGEMENT PTE.LTD.
Sasseur REIT is managed by the Manager, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Sponsor. The Manager’s key responsibility is to manager Sasseur REIT’s assets and liabilities for the benefit of Unitholders.
As the first retail outlet mall REIT listed in Asia, the Manager intends to utilise Sasseur REIT’s first-mover advantage and acquire suitable properties with good investment characteristics in Asia or other parts of the world. The Manager’s growth strategy is to identify and selectively pursue acquisition opportunities in quality income-producing properties used mainly for retail outlet mall purposes initially in the PRC and subsequently in other countries.
About the Sponsor – SASSEUR CAYMAN HOLDING LIMITED
The Sponsor Group is one of the leading premium outlet groups in the PRC, ranked within the top 500 service companies in the PRC. With about 30 years of experience in art-commerce, the Sponsor Group has attained recognition in Asia as a leading outlet operator which adopts a strategic approach of integrating emotion, aesthetics, scenario planning and prudent capital management, as well as its “A x (1+N) x DT” Super Outlet business model. For more information on the Sponsor, please visit http://www.sasseur.com/
CONTACT
Sasseur Asset Management
Wong Siew Lu, CFA, CA (Singapore)
Head, Investor Relations and Corporate Affairs
Tel: +65 6360 0290
wongsl@sasseurreit.com
WeR1 Consultants
Isaac Tang
Tel: +65 6737 4844
sasseurreit@wer1.net