APAC 2018 Hong Kong Business Awards

15 APAC / 2018 Hong Kong Business Awards , HKB18002 Best Global Real Estate PE Fund Manager 2018 Gaw Capital Partners is a uniquely positioned private equity fund management company that focuses on real estatemarkets inGreater China and other high barrier-to-entrymarkets globally. Gaw Capital has raised five commingled funds targeting the Greater China and APAC regions since 2005. The firm also manages value-add/opportunistic funds in Vietnam and the US, a Pan-Asia hospitality fund, a UK creative office vehicle, and also provides services for separate account direct investments globally. Gaw Capital specializes in adding strategic value to under-utilized real estate through redesign and repositioning, running an integrated business model with its own in-house asset management operating platforms in commercial, hospitality, property development and logistics. The firm’s investments span the entire spectrum of real estate sectors, including residential development, offices, retail malls, hospitality and logistics warehouses. “Our creative approach is to think out-of-the-box to identify under- utilized properties with a potential to be converted and repositioned” says Chairman and Founder of Gaw Capital Partners. “That has attracted the trust, confidence and loyalty of an extensive range of clients.” The latter range from international institutional investors and banks to local real estate brokerage firms, operating partners and developers across the globe. “Our overall success is built upon our ability to identify high- potential, attractively-valued properties in promising locations,” adds Kenneth Gaw, President and Co-founder of Gaw Capital Partners. “We then manage them innovatively and creatively by introducing out-of-the-box concepts. Our ability to take on manageable risks has hugely contributed to our success – projects that need heavy lifting which rivals find impossible to handle.” “Alongside this, we are also able to find opportunity amid market volatility,” says Goodwin. “Despite our size, we are able to keep up with our flexibility and entrepreneurial spirit. We act swiftly, efficiently and effectively to ensure that all transactions generate healthy and profitable returns, and we achieve this by consistently executing and turning around projects in a timely manner.” In addition to its unique approach, the firm also benefits from its professional in-house teams specializing in acquisitions, asset management, finance, capital markets and risk and compliance to oversee the entire investment life cycle as an owner-operator. “Our competitive advantage is having teams with in-depth knowledge and in-house operating platforms,” says Christina Gaw, Head of Capital Markets. “This has enabled us to source unique transactions and close deals efficiently. We have a strong track record of adding value to our invested assets by repositioning and marketing properties, upgrading hardware and design, and regenerating districts surrounding these properties.” Locally, Gaw Capital Partners has a strong presence in select markets which comes from building and maintaining relationships with numerous strategic partners: real estate brokerage firms, investors, established property operators and well-known developers. These relationships have defined Gaw Capital Partners’ reputation and ability to gain first-hand critical market intelligence, monitor regulatory changes, and spot trends – resulting in the trust and confidence of international institutional investors as well as pension funds, endowments and sovereign wealth funds. “We deeply understand and value the trust our investors and partners place in us – and that is why responsibility is at the center of everything we do,” says Goodwin. Going forward, Gaw Capital intends to differentiate itself from its competitors even further by moving into new markets and offering an even greater range of technological solutions. “Looking at our investment portfolio, we are following trends in sync with that of the growing and tech-savvy Chinese middle class,” says Humbert Pang, Managing Principal and Head of China. “That means investing in outlet malls, hotels, co-working and co-living spaces, and logistics warehouses supporting e-commerce; in other words, the new forms of real estate operations and asset classes derived from changing demands from the increasingly well- educated middle-class population in Greater China.” Humbert continues: “ In terms of technology, as more and more people are using mobile devices for everything from payments to entertainment, there is a huge demand for data, collection and transmissions centers. As such, at Gaw Capital we will be exploring these technologies in addition to growing into new markets so that we can offer our clients the solutions and support their needs in the years to come.” Company: Gaw Capital Partners Contact: [email protected]