When Manulife US REIT completed its IPO in 2016, it was the first US real estate investment trust (Reit) listed in Asia. Caroline Fong, head of investor relations, knew she was taking on the tall task of educating both investors and analysts about Reits and the differences between real estate in Singapore and in the US.
Fong devised a series of thought-leadership events, invited Manulife’s economist to speak at an investor event in Singapore and provided briefings about what the US tax reforms mean for investors in a US Reit.
Four years on, Fong continues to think about thought leadership and how to introduce new topics to her investors and analysts, whether through slides on the earnings call, the IR website, interactive site tours of properties, or thematic events. Her hard work was rewarded at the IR Magazine Awards – South East Asia last year, where she picked up the best investor relations officer (small to mid-cap) award and Manulife US REIT won the best investor relations in Singapore category.
This is the fourth episode in our new socially distanced video series, where we profile award winners from around the world. If there’s a particular award winner or award category you would like to see profiled, please email ben.ashwell@irmagazine.com.
