Interview: Mr. Andreas Martin, Head of International Acquisitions & Sales, Deka Immobilien Investment GmbH

The DekaBank Group, owned by savings banks and Landesbanken (Federal State banks), is the largest provider of open-ended real estate funds in Germany. The Groups two investment companies, Deka Immobilien Investment GmbH and WestInvest Gesellschaft fuer Investmentfonds mbH, have a total of more than 21 billion euro in assets under management. Deka Immobilien GmbH is affiliated with these companies and is responsible for global real estate purchases and sales, real estate asset management, and all other real estate services, including product development. Bundling the Groups real estate services in Deka Immobilien and streamlining and simplifying organizational processes has generated large synergy effects that provide a win-win situation for all parties involved. As noted by Andreas Martin,...

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Interview: Mr. Chua Choy-Soon, Managing Director, SEB Investment

The Swedish SEB Group offers a comprehensive range of global and local investment products and has more than 130 billion euro in assets under management worldwide. It's real estate arm, part of SEB Asset Management, is based in Frankfurt, and offers real estate and securities investments, specializing in total return strategies. The company's experience and expertise make it the SEB Group's global center of competence for real estate. The company's real estate success story began in 1989 with the launch of SEB ImmoInvest. Its largest real estate mutual fund with a gross fund volume of approximately 8 billion euro grew as the Investmentgesetz (German Investment Act) developed, from a fund that invests in Germany and Europe to one that invests around the world. As noted by Mr. Chua Choy-Soon,...

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Interview: Mr. Choi Jong-man, Commissioner of Gwangyang Bay Area Free Economic Zone Authority

Designated a free economic zone in October 2003, the Gwangyang Bay Free Economic Zone has unlimited potential to become a global logistics hub with an unrivaled transportation network, a world-class industrial infrastructure, incomparable living conditions, and business friendly environment featuring a variety of attractive deregulation and support policies. GFEZ is comprised of five districts, each with its own mission in the overall development. Each of the districts has its own development agenda, with the first phases well under way and ongoing through 2011. They comprise: Gwangyang District (Logistics), Yulchon District (Manufacturing), Sindeok District (Residential), Hwayang District (Tourism) and Hadong District (Multi-purpose). Since its establishment in 2003, the GFEZ Authority has...

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Interview: Mr. Chang Tae-pyong, Minister of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

The Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries is taking efforts to make the food industry as the next growth engine, by encouraging foreign investors. The government has chosen “Profit-making Agriculture and Fisheries & Lively Rural Society” as one of its goals to pursue for the next five year term. In line with the government commitment, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries aims to upgrade agriculture from primary production-based industry into advanced industry which encompasses processing and marketing so that our agriculture and fisheries can compete in a global arena. Mr. Chang Tae-pyong, Minister of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries tells us of his plans to promote Korea’s food industry as well as to attract more foreign investors in the...

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