Hektar REIT’s ESG Commitment Gets Rewarded with a 4-Star Rating

KUALA LUMPUR, June 27, 2022 — Hektar Real Estate Investment Trust (Hektar REIT) has achieved an upgraded ESG rating of 4-star on the FTSE4Good Bursa Malaysia Index in the latest June 2022 evaluation.

Chief Executive Officer of Hektar Asset Management Sdn Bhd, Johari Shukri Jamil says, “We are humbled to have our ESG initiatives recognised and rewarded with such a high rating as this is a great acknowledgement of our commitment to ensuring that our business activities are performed to high standards of environmental, social and governance conduct.

“We are convinced that the continued integration of sustainability into our strategy will support the ongoing & future success of Hektar REIT – in the interest of all stakeholders.”

He says the company embarked on these ESG initiatives in 2017 when it put in place various energy optimisation initiatives for all their malls to contribute in significantly reducing the carbon footprint over the years.

“We will continue to enhance our efforts in managing material sustainability matters, including climate change adaptation, pollution prevention, water and waste management, and managing energy consumption, including incorporating renewable energy in our energy mix moving forward.”

“I would also like to emphasise that we will continue to improve our ESG credentials, not just because regulations are becoming more enhanced on these matters but also because it will translate into long term business value and, most importantly, it is the responsible thing to do.”

ESG Commitment

Hektar Asset Management, the Manager of Hektar REIT, remains committed to continuously looking at and adopting sustainability-linked initiatives as part of the core strategy & decision-making process. Recently, Hektar REIT also joined the Public Listed Companies Transformation Programme launched by Bursa Malaysia to further enhance the fundamental tenets, from being performance-driven to helping build & contribute towards the nation.

Based on the latest results by F4GBMI in their June 2022 evaluation, Hektar REIT achieved a high score in Governance, reflecting the adoption of best practices for Corporate Governance & Anti-Corruption. To further strengthen & improve our overall Governance, the Management is currently working on establishing the Directors’ Fit & Proper Policy based on the guidelines issued by Bursa Malaysia. The policy will be made available on the REIT’s website from 1 July 2022 onwards.

(ACN Newswire)