The 2013/14 Annual Report of The Link Real Estate Investment Trust ("The Link REIT") was awarded the top-ranking Platinum Award in the Non-Hang Seng Index (Large Market Capitalisation) category at the “2014 Best Corporate Governance Disclosure Awards” organised by the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA). In addition, Ricky Chan, Director of Legal and Company Secretary, was named among the winners of the “2nd Asian Corporate Secretary and Compliance Officer Recognition Awards 2014” organised by Corporate Governance Asia. This marked the second consecutive year that he was among the awardees. These two awards recognise The Link REIT’s efforts in developing and enhancing its corporate governance standards.

 

Using “Linking Sustainability with Everything We Do” as the theme, The Link REIT’s 2013/14 Annual Report was the company’s first step towards implementing the integrated reporting model, which is in line with global best practice in financial reporting and corporate governance, and which brings together material information about The Link REIT’s strategy, governance, performance, integrity and prospects. Judges of the “2014 Best Corporate Governance Disclosure Awards” praised The Link REIT for adopting the integrated reporting framework, and recognised The Link REIT’s board composition and governance as well as its corporate social responsibility reporting.

 

The “2nd Asian Corporate Secretary and Compliance Officer Recognition Awards 2014”, which selected The Link Management Limited (“The Link”)’s Ricky Chan as a winner for the second consecutive year, were organised by Corporate Governance Asia, the most authoritative journal on corporate governance in Asia, to recognise company secretaries and compliance officers for their importance in dispensing advice on corporate governance.

 

George Hongchoy, Chief Executive Officer of The Link, said, “We believe maintaining high corporate governance standards is the cornerstone of business success and sustainable growth. The Link has always strived to implement global best practices in everything we do, and we are committed to raising our corporate governance standards to a higher level. We will continue to strive for excellence and create greater value for our stakeholders.”

 

Introduced by HKICPA in 2000, the Best Corporate Governance Disclosure Awards are Hong Kong’s most established and prestigious awards for corporate governance. The awards raise awareness of the benefits of greater accountability to stakeholders and receive strong support from the government, regulators, and the business and professional communities. The awardees set the pace for Hong Kong’s corporate governance standards.