The Board of Directors (the Board) of Link Asset Management Limited (Link), the manager of Link Real Estate Investment Trust (Link REIT; Hong Kong stock code: 823), announced today (Wednesday) that Duncan Gareth Owen will be appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director and a member of the Finance and Investment Committee and the Nomination Committee of Link effective from 1 February 2024, under the designation of Chair Elect.

Mr Owen, aged 56, is currently an independent non-executive director and chair of the board of directors of Workspace Group PLC, a REIT listed on the London Stock Exchange. In addition, Mr Owen is the chair of Sellar Property Group, a design-led developer, investor and asset manager based in London. 

Mr Owen has over 30 years’ experience in the real estate investment and development sectors. Up until 2023, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Immobel Capital Partners. From 2012 to 2020, he was the Global Head of Real Estate of Schroders PLC. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Invista Real Estate Investment Management Holdings PLC from 2006 to 2011. Prior to those appointments, he was managing director of Insight Investment Management Limited and the co-founder of Gatehouse Investment Management Limited. He held various positions in Jones Lang LaSalle and LaSalle Investment Management from 1990 to 2001.

Mr Owen is active in public service, having been a member of the Board of Governors of the Church Commissioners and the chairman of their Real Assets Investment Committee from 2016 to 2022, and a member of the Policy Committee of the British Property Federation for 14 years.

Mr Owen holds a Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Urban Land Economics from Sheffield Hallam University. He is a Chartered Surveyor and a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and a Financial Conduct Authority Approved Person for investment and client relationships.

In accordance with the Corporate Governance Policy of Link, the maximum nine-year tenure for Link’s current Chairman Nicholas Allen as an Independent Non-executive Director of Link, and therefore also as Board Chair, will end on 31 January 2025. The appointment of Mr Owen, as the Chair Elect, fulfils Link’s succession planning arrangements for the role of Board Chair and allows for an appropriate transition as Mr Allen’s tenure enters its latter stages.

Commenting on the appointment, Mr Allen said, “Link is ready for succession. I am delighted that we have identified Duncan who has the character, knowledge, commonality of values, and skills to lead Link into a new phase of development. With his global real estate investment expertise, including exposure to both Hong Kong and the broader Asia Pacific region, together with his solid track record in growing business and substantive listed board experience, I have no doubts Duncan will play a pivotal role as we transition to Link 3.0.”

Mr Owen’s biography is provided in the directorate change announcement published by Link on the HKEXnews website today.

A picture of Mr Owen can be downloaded here.

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About Link

Link Real Estate Investment Trust (Hong Kong stock code: 823) is the largest REIT in Asia by market capitalisation. It is managed by Link Asset Management Limited, a leading real estate investor and asset manager in the world. Since its listing in 2005 as the first REIT in Hong Kong, Link REIT has been 100% held by public and institutional investors. It is a constituent of the Hong Kong securities market benchmark Hang Seng Index, as well as a component of the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index, the FTSE4Good Index Series and the Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Index. From its home in Hong Kong, Link Asset Management Limited owns and manages a diversified portfolio including retail facilities, car parks, offices and logistics assets spanning from China’s Beijing, Greater Bay Area (Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Shenzhen), and Yangtze River Delta centred around Shanghai, to Singapore, Australia’s Sydney and Melbourne and the UK’s London. Link Asset Management Limited seeks to extend its portfolio growth trajectory and grasp expansion opportunities in different markets in pursuit of sustainable growth.

For details, please visit https://www.linkreit.com.