REIT ASIAPAC
Interview
MANULIFE US REIT WELL- POSITIONED WITH ESG LEAP , POST-COVID TRENDS
Chief Executive Officer Jill Smith shares her views on ESG and investment strategy , as well as the path of recovery in the US through Biden ’ s new tax and budget proposals .
Photo : Manulife US REIT CEO Jill Smith . Source : Manulife US REIT
The Covid-19 pandemic has heightened the awareness of ESG and has , in part , spurred the integration of ESG criteria into asset management . This shift is accelerating , and REITs that do not integrate ESG into their portfolios risk losing out as investors increasingly demand it .
In Singapore , many REITs are starting to look at sustainability , in part spurred by regulations . Manulife US Real Estate Investment Trust ( Manulife US REIT ), with nine office properties in the US , is among those that have a comprehensive ESG strategy . The REIT was listed in Singapore on May 20 , 2016 , and as at December
31 , 2020 , its portfolio has an aggregate net lettable area of 4.7 million sq ft . Its nine freehold and Trophy or Class A quality office properties are located in in key areas in California , Georgia , New Jersey , and the Washington D . C . MSA .
We spoke to Jill Smith , the CEO of Manulife US Real Estate Management Pte . Ltd ., the manager of Manulife US REIT ( MUST ), on the REIT ’ s ESG and investment strategy as well as her views on the recovery in the US and President Biden ’ s budget and tax proposals .
4