UBS Global Asset Management's real estate funds, managed by Global Real
Estate (GRE), continued to achieve strong results in the annual GRESB
survey, with the majority of its responding funds ranking in the first
quartile of their respective peer groups and nine funds being awarded
"Green Star" status.
Overall, GRE improved on its excellent results from 2014, submitting 11
funds globally from a wide range of countries including the US, Germany,
Switzerland, Luxembourg, UK and Japan, and across a variety of real
estate sectors. Following the success of 2014 where eight funds were
awarded Green Star status, this year nine GRE funds have been recognised
as Green Stars.
Commenting on the results, Thomas Wels, Head of Global Real Estate
commented: "GRE’s global leadership and implementation in this field has
continued in 2015. No other firm has consistently achieved such
excellent scores in multiple global regions across both the 2014 and
2015 surveys."
The 2015 survey was completed by 707 real estate companies and
funds/portfolios across 37 countries worldwide, representing a total
property value of USD 2.3 trillion and 61,000 individual property assets
under management.
GRESB collects information regarding the sustainability performance of
property companies and funds. This includes information on performance
data, such as energy, GHG emissions, water and waste. In addition, the
survey also covers broader sustainability issues, such as sustainability
risk assessments, performance improvement programs, and engagement with
employees, tenants, suppliers and the community.
GRESB’s global benchmark uses a consistent methodology across different
global regions, investment vehicles and property types. Participants’
scores are based on eight detailed criteria – Management, Policy &
Disclosure, Risks & Opportunities, Monitoring & EMS, Performance
Indicators, Building Certification & Benchmarking, Stakeholder
Engagement and New Construction & Major Renovations.
What is GRESB?
GRESB is an industry-driven organization committed to assessing the
sustainability performance of real estate portfolios (public, private
and direct) around the globe. GRESB is an independent organization
not connected to UBS Global Asset Management's GRE business area.
GRESB’s mission is to enhance and protect shareholder value by
evaluating and improving sustainability best practices in the global
real estate sector. GRESB has grown from an initiative pioneered by
three institutional investors with the assistance of Maastricht
University into the leading benchmark measuring the sustainable
performance of real estate portfolios on a global scale.
About UBS
UBS is committed to providing private, institutional and corporate
clients worldwide, as well as retail clients in Switzerland, with
superior financial advice and solutions while generating attractive and
sustainable returns for shareholders. Its strategy centers on its Wealth
Management and Wealth Management Americas businesses and its leading
universal bank in Switzerland, complemented by its Global Asset
Management business and its Investment Bank. These businesses share
three key characteristics: they benefit from a strong competitive
position in their targeted markets, are capital-efficient, and offer a
superior structural growth and profitability outlook. UBS's strategy
builds on the strengths of all of its businesses and focuses its efforts
on areas in which it excels, while seeking to capitalize on the
compelling growth prospects in the businesses and regions in which it
operates. Capital strength is the foundation of its success.
UBS is present in all major financial centers worldwide. It has offices
in more than 50 countries, with about 35% of its employees working in
the Americas, 36% in Switzerland, 17% in the rest of Europe, the Middle
East and Africa and 12% in Asia Pacific. UBS Group AG employs about
60,000 people around the world. Its shares are listed on the SIX Swiss
Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
Global Asset Management
Global Asset Management is a large-scale asset manager with well
diversified businesses across regions and client segments. It serves
third-party institutional and wholesale clients, as well as clients of
UBS’s wealth management businesses with a broad range of investment
capabilities and styles across all major traditional and alternative
asset classes. Complementing the investment offering, the fund services
unit provides fund administration services for UBS and third-party funds.
www.ubs.com/realestate
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