ESR-Logos REIT Adds Trent Iliffe to Board, Appoints Karen Lee as Deputy CEO

The manager of ESR-Logos REIT announced a flurry of people moves on Friday to round out the board of directors and management team at the SGX-listed trust formed by the March merger of ESR-REIT and ARA Logos Logistics Trust.

Logos Property co-founder and co-CEO Trent Iliffe has joined the ESR-Logos REIT board as a non-executive director and is also a member of the executive committee, the trust’s manager said in a filing with the Singapore Exchange.

Also on the board as an independent non-executive director and a member of the audit, risk management and compliance committee is former Ernst & Young partner Nagaraj Sivaram, while ESR Group chairman Jeffrey Perlman is now chairman of the executive committee while continuing to serve as a non-executive director of the board.

“We are excited to welcome Trent and Raj to the board,” said Adrian Chui, chief executive and executive director of ESR-Logos Funds Management. “Trent has a highly accomplished and lauded career in real estate investment and management while Raj brings with him a storied track record in audit assurance especially in the real estate and REIT sector.”

Management Team

Also on Friday, ESR-Logos REIT formally announced the appointment of Karen Lee as deputy chief executive of the trust’s manager, as proposed last October.

Lee previously served as chief executive of ARA Logos Logistics Trust’s manager and will assist Chui, the former CEO of ESR-REIT, in executing the merged trust’s strategic plan.

In addition, head of real estate Nancy Tan has been redesignated as head of investment at the manager to focus on driving ESR-Logos REIT’s strategic plans for acquisitions.

Tan has over 23 years of experience in the real estate and asset management industry in Singapore, including posts at Far East Organization and City Developments Ltd.

Filling out the team, Leong Sai Keong and Carlvin Chia have been appointed as co-heads of asset management.

Ooi Steps Down

Former ESR-REIT chairman Ooi Eng Peng has stepped down from the ESR-Logos REIT board and the various subcommittees after nearly a decade of service. He most recently served as non-executive deputy chairman at ESR-REIT after Singapore lawyer Stefanie Yuen Thio succeeded him as independent chairperson.

“On behalf of the board and management, we would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to Mr Ooi for his significant contributions, commitment and guidance to the management team,” Chui said. “Mr Ooi has played an instrumental role in steering ESR-Logos REIT to greater heights.”

Finally, ESR Australia CEO Phillip Pearce has been redesignated as an alternate director to Perlman and will continue to guide ESR-Logos REIT on its growth strategies, the trust’s manager said.

With the latest changes, the manager’s board consists of 10 directors, of whom five are independent directors.

In addition to Chui, Perlman, Iliffe and Sivaram, the board’s lineup features former Keppel Infrastructure Trust CEO Khor Un-Hun, CapitalCorp Partners chairman Leong Horn Kee, former UOB executive Ronald Lim, OT Group CEO Wilson Ang and Shanghai Summit Group chairman Tong Jinquan, with Thio continuing as independent chairperson.