Page 72 - Forbes - Asia (December 2019 - January 2020)

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

UEM SUNRISE: ON A QUEST

TO INSPIRE A DELIGHTFUL

CUSTOMER JOURNEY

UEM Sunrise head Anwar Syahrin Abdul Ajib shares the company’s strategies and his secret for success.

UEM Sunrise Berhad, one of the leading The company is now preparing to enter the
property developers in Malaysia, has grown South African market where it has a 29-acre
significantly over the past few years and cre- landholding in Durban, the third-most popu-
ated some of the most iconic and game- lous city in the country after Johannesburg
changing developments both locally and and Cape Town. “We are quite close to moving
abroad. It is also the only developer in Malaysia forward into our first launch there,” he adds.
to develop and master-plan Iskandar Puteri, a Meanwhile, he notes it is important that
greenfield city in Johor. the company takes a cautious approach to
The Kuala Lumpur-based group has expanding into other Southeast Asian coun-
increased its revenue every year from 2016 to tries. “There are big property developers
2018 and maintained profitability—a feat that in these countries, so you have to pick your
not many Malaysian property developers have battles carefully,” he says.
achieved. It appears to be on track for another
year of growth in 2019, after it posted a 65% Secret for Success
increase in revenue to US$342.2 million for the For Anwar Syahrin, UEM Sunrise’s success did
first half of the year. not come overnight. He believes the key is to
Moreover, UEM Sunrise has a massive land- Anwar Syahrin Abdul Ajib, Managing Director and always listen to what the market needs and try
bank of more than 10,000 acres with a poten- Chief Executive Officer of UEM Sunrise Berhad their best to meet the requirements.
tial gross development value of US$19.5 billion, “Building on the strength of our EVE (Excit-
which is expected to sustain the company for markets, he says. “If there are opportunities in ing, bringing Value and Easy to own) philoso-
the next 25 years. this region that allow us to do niche develop- phy, we seek to anticipate our customers’
Nevertheless, its Managing Director and ments, we will do that first.” evolving needs. We are committed to consci-
Chief Executive Officer, Anwar Syahrin Abdul So far, UEM Sunrise has built a significant entiously being of service in creating opportu-
Ajib, knows the company can do more, not presence in Melbourne, Australia, thanks to its nities for our customers to find their happiness
only domestically but also internationally. Aurora Melbourne Central, a 92-story, mixed and in doing so, find ours.”
development project, and Conservatory, a “These include product design and
Carrying the National Flag 42-story residential development that recently development, taking into account customer
Abroad sold for US$72.5 million. feedback through research and injecting

Malaysian property developers are no strang-
ers to building quality homes abroad, and
most of the large players have a presence in
Australia, China, Singapore, U.K., and other
markets.
While UEM Sunrise is already known for its
quality homes, Anwar Syahrin says it is also
important to have deep pockets for a move
overseas.
“This business is about having the stamina.
You need to have strong shareholders to
weather the cycles of a property develop-
ment. That’s why one of the advantages we
have as a GLC [government-linked company]
is having strong institutional shareholders
behind us, allowing us to carry the Malaysian
flag abroad,” Anwar Syahrin says.
Small-scale projects are a good way for the
company to build its track record in overseas The Maris @ Desaru aims to offer residents vacation-like relaxation, tranquility and daily adventures.

10 Real Estate