Page 50 - Forbes - Asia (July - August 2018)

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
ARA ASSET

MANAGEMENT:

SINGAPORE-BORN REAL ASSETS FUND MANAGER
MAKES ITS MARK ON THE GLOBAL STAGE

The ARA Group has expanded rapidly over the past year with strategic stakes in power players in Japan and Europe
while pursuing organic growth opportunities across Asia.

Just over a year after its privatization, also provides a beachhead for the
ARA Asset Management Limited is mak- group’s expansion into Europe, our
ing great strides in realizing its vision of first venture beyond Asia Pacific,”
becoming a premier global integrated real says Lim. “We are set to grow our
assets fund manager. business quickly, leveraging our
Group Chief Executive Officer John Europe desk and our partner’s
Lim, who led the privatization exercise, established foothold in the region.”
said the move was necessary to enable Cromwell has a large presence
the group to grow bigger, faster. Indeed, in Europe with about US$4.6 bil-
he has made good on his word. Today, lion in AUM across 12 countries in
the gross assets managed by ARA Group the region.
and its Associates total US$57.7 billion, Meanwhile, ARA’s Japan desk,
double its US$25.8 billion in assets under which was set up in June 2017, has
management (AUM) before privatization. made good progress in access-
The group has also expanded its foot- ing the Japanese market for both
print to 62 cities across 20 countries. Then inbound and outbound capi-
there are its new formidable sharehold- tal through its partnership with
ers, which include U.S. private equity firm Kenedix, the largest listed real
Warburg Pincus and China’s AVIC Trust, in estate asset management company
addition to its longstanding partners, CK in Japan with about US$18.6 billion
Asset Holdings Limited and The Straits in AUM. ARA Group CEO, John Lim
Trading Company Limited. Considering AR A’s humble
ARA has expanded rapidly in the past beginnings with an AUM of US$458 mil- 350 prestigious industry awards and acco-
year. In 2017, it acquired a strategic stake lion a year after its formation in 2003, its lades over the years.
in Japan’s Kenedix, Inc. followed by Aus- achievements has been nothing short of
tralia-based Cromwell Property Group in phenomenal. Growth aside, ARA’s keen Organic Growth Remains Key
June this year. focus on strong corporate governance, ARA has also been growing its operations
“Cromwell is significant as it not only business integrity and risk management organically in Asia Pacific, particularly in
deepens ARA’s presence in Australia, but has also garnered the company more than Greater China, even as it expands its global

Integrated multiproduct global fund management platform

11 Singapore