Keppel REIT Management Limited, as Manager of Keppel REIT (the Manager), has appointed Koh Wee Lih (郭纬立), as its new the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Manager with effect from 1 December 2021, subject to regulatory approval.

Koh succeeds Paul Tham (谭伟心), who will step down as CEO on 20 October 2021 “to pursue other opportunities”, the company said in a statement.

Shirley Ng (黄雪莉), Deputy CEO and Head of Investment, will assume the role of acting CEO, and will work closely with the Board and management team on key strategic and operational issues during the leadership transition.

The new chief executive Koh has over 25 years of experience in investment, corporate finance and asset management, of which more than 17 years are in direct real estate, covering investments, developments, asset management and real estate private equity in the Asia Pacific region.

He is currently the Executive Director and CEO of AIMS APAC REIT Management Limited, the manager of AIMS APAC REIT (AA REIT), where he is responsible for the overall planning, management and operation of AA REIT.

Prior to his appointment as CEO, Koh was Head of Real Estate, responsible for growing AA REIT’s portfolio and assets under management.

Penny Goh (李育嬋), Chairman of the Manager, said: “Wee Lih brings to Keppel REIT his depth of experience in real estate investment, asset management and redevelopment and corporate finance.

“The Board looks forward to working with Wee Lih in Keppel REIT’s next phase of growth as we continue our drive to optimise and grow Keppel REIT’s portfolio for stable and sustainable returns to our Unitholders.”

Koh holds a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Science in Industrial and Operations Engineering and a Bachelor of Science (Summa Cum Laude) in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan.

From 2016 to 2018, Mr Koh was in the executive committee of the REIT Association of Singapore (REITAS), and has been a member of its Professional Development Committee since 2016.

Keppel REIT has assets under management of over SG$8 billion in Singapore, in the Australian cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, as well as Seoul, South Korea.

The REIT is sponsored by Keppel Land Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Corporation Limited.

It is managed by Keppel REIT Management Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Capital Holdings Pte. Ltd. (Keppel Capital).

Keppel Capital is an asset manager with a portfolio in real estate, infrastructure, data centre and alternative assets in key global markets.