ARA ASSET MANAGEMENT celebrates 10 years of extraordinary success

ARA is 10 years old!  At its celebration dinner were directors of its listed REITS.
L-R: Lim Lee Meng (Suntec REIT & Fortune REIT Director), Lim How Teck (ARA Director and Cache Chairman), Moses Cheng (ARA director), John Lim (ARA Group CEO), Collin Russel (ARA Director), Justin Chiu (ARA Chairman), Eirene Yeung (Fortune REIT Director),
Lee Yock Suan (ARA Director), Sng Sow Mei (Suntec REIT, Fortune and Prosperity REIT Director), Lim Ah Doo (Cache Logistics Trust Director), David Lan (Prosperity REIT Director), Vincent Chen (Suntec REIT Director)

Professional trio jazzed up the evening at the pre-dinner cocktail.

Chairman Justin Chiu (left) with CEO John Lim. The latter said: "I have challenged the ARA team to a new 5-year vision for 2016: achieving $40 billion in assets under management."

Photos courtesy of ARA Asset Management

INDUSTRY REGULATORS, bankers, lawyers, real estate professionals, investment analysts and the media..... The who's who from these groups turned up for ARA Asset Management's 10th annivesary bash at Raffles City Convention Center’s ballroom on 10 Aug.

Basking in the success of ARA's 10 years were also staff from its various groups, including asset management, REIT management, private fund, real estate management services and corporate finance advisory services.

L-R: Ricky Sim (Chesterton Suntec International MD); Mr and Mrs Justin Chiu

There are many challenges ARA has overcome.

As John Lim, its Group CEO, said: "Ten years ago, I took the plunge and started ARA when the economy was depressed. I can still recall the anxieties, hopes and energy when we started with a 4-person outfit in Hong Kong in 2002, with the support of Cheung Kong Holdings as co-founder and partner.

"It was truly hard work, with many challenging and rewarding experiences. Time has passed quickly. A decade is a long period; it makes up almost three Olympic games, including the one that is on-going in London now!. ARA has succeeded beyond our best expectations."

ARA listed its first REIT in Singapore -- Fortune REIT.

Since then, it has listed a new trust or launched a new private property fund almost every year in Singapore, Hong Kong or Malaysia.

ARA itself was listed in 2007, and recently achieved a market capitalisation of S$1.1 billion.

Mark Ebbinghaus (Global Head of Real Estate, MD, Wholesale Banking, Standard Chartered Bank), Moses Cheng (ARA Director), Tony Lewis (Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Institutional Trust Services (Singapore) Limited & Head of HSBC Securities Services, Singapore)

With so many IPO successes, it was no surprise that net profit has ballooned from S$34 million in FY2007 to S$68 million in FY2011.

Investors were impressed that its net margins were in excess of 50% year after year.

On the evening of the celebration dinner, ARA announced that its 1H2012 net profit was up 20% year-on-year at S$35.4 million.

It also declared an interim dividend of 2.3 Singapore cents.

AUM to go from S$21.8 billion to ....$40 billion?

Colin Russel (ARA Director), Michael Zink (Head of ASEAN and Citi Country Officer for Singapore), Jeanette Wong (Group Executive, Institutional Banking Group, DBS)

Total assets under management has hit S$21.8 billion, more than double the S$9.6 billion during its IPO.

In July, ARA was conferred the Best Managed Board (Gold) Award at the Singapore Corporate Awards 2012 for companies with S$300 million to less than S$1 billion in market capitalization.

In Aug, it announced that close to US$1 billion had been raised for its private real estate funds, a remarkable feat given the challenging fund raising environment.

Gross investor commitments of US$941 million were raised via its new fund, ARA China Investment Partners, and its existing Asia Dragon Fund II.

”I believe Asia, with its strong fundamentals and hardworking and resourceful people, should continue to do well. Given ARA’s strengths, I also believe ARA can look forward to many more good years of growth,” said Chairman Justin Chiu at the dinner.

Group CEO John Lim has lofty dreams: "I have challenged the ARA team to a new 5-year vision for 2016: achieving $40 billion in assets under management."

Free flow of soft drinks, alchohol, canapes and other finger food during the cocktail.

L-R: Justin Chiu, Eng-Kwok Seat Moey (MD & Head of DBS's Asset Backed Structured Products), Moses Cheng (ARA Director), Eirene Yeung (Fortune REIT Director), Penny Goh (Partner at Allen & Gledhill), Mrs Justin Chiu.

SMU students on ARA scholarships with directors. 1st from left: David Lan (Prosperity REIT Director). 3rd-6th from left: John Lim, Eirene Yeung, Mr and Mrs Justin Chiu.

Ng Hsueh Ling (CEO, K-REIT Asia), Choo Oi-Yee (Executive Director, Investment Banking, Morgan Stanley Asia), Penny Goh (Partner, Allen & Gledhill),
John Lim (Group CEO, ARA), Winfield Wong (Director of Client Management, HSBC), Tracey Woon (Vice Chairman of ASEAN Corporate and Investment Banking, Citigroup), Alex Neo (Manager, Portfolio Management, ARA)

Guests letting their hair down on the dance floor...

Yeo See Kiat (CEO, ARA Trust Management for Suntec) and his lovely wife jived up a niffy ballroom trot.

What an evening of dinner and dance it was!

There were ice sculptures and laser shows.....

A sumptuous 9-course dinner of fine wining and dining....

Exciting games that brought memories of younger days back to life....

Photo mementos.....

Celebrity entertainers taking the guests to stage.....

Live video capturing guests in action....

150 lucky draw prizes.

Some extraordinarily lucky soul walked away with an all-expenses paid holiday worth over S$4,000 at a 5-star hotel in Beijing.

Celebrity entertainer and live! talk host Justin Mission kept the night alive and packed with endless games, song-and-dance, and even belted out English, Mandarin and Cantonese oldies at the piano.

It was Friday night and the dance floor with a live! disco band wowed all party-lovers.

All guests had photo mementos of themselves to remember the fun-filled night by.

Recent story: ARA Wins Best Managed Board (Gold) Award