The Board of Directors of the Manager is entrusted with the responsibility for the overall management of the Manager and comprises six Directors.
Non-Executive and Non-Independent Chairman
Date of First Appointment: 11 April 2017
Mr. Xu founded Sasseur Group in 1989, and is currently the Chairman of the Board of Sasseur Group, the Sponsor of Sasseur REIT. He is an innovative leader with artistic passions, acute business insight and outstanding strategic planning capability.
As the founder of Sasseur Group and a pioneer in Chinese "Art Commerce" business ideology, Vito Xu created a Super Outlet empire with his unique artistic approach. With 30 years of experience focusing on the outlet mall operation led by the "Art Commerce" DNA, under the four core thought processes which incorporates emotions, aesthetics, sense of place and capital management, he initiated the new business concept of "Art Commerce Super Outlets" in 2016 and brings innovation to the outlets industry with his unique "A × (1+N) × DT" business model. Under the leadership of Vito Xu, Sasseur Group has grown into a Top 500 Chinese Service Enterprise and is the Sponsor of the first outlet mall real estate investment trust listed on the Mainboard of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (SGX-ST), as well as the leading super outlets brand in the global outlet industry.
Vito Xu was lauded by various institutions for his contributions to the development of the industry. As a testimony to his achievements, his many awards include "the Knight of the Order of the Italian Star" by the Italian president, "Meritorious Figure of the 40th Anniversary of China's Commercial Reform and Opening-up", and "Outstanding Asian Entrepreneur", amongst others.
Non-Executive and Non-Independent Director
Date of First Appointment: 16 November 2017
Ms Yang is the co-founder of Sasseur Outlets and is currently the Co-chairman of the Board of Sasseur Group. She is the spouse of the Non-Executive and Non-Independent Chairman, Mr. Xu Rongcan.
As Co-founder of Sasseur Outlets, Sasseur Yang is a key figure in the strategic development of Sasseur Group. With her ingrained fashion sense and delicate but decisive business actions, she contributed in many ways in the development of Sasseur Group, especially in the areas of public relations, international brand leasing, strategic planning, consolidating the collaboration between Sasseur Group and various brands, which led to the successful opening of the first Sasseur outlet in Chongqing.
Sasseur Yang is responsible for the strategic development of Sasseur Group, heading its Nominating and Remuneration Committee, international brand centre, Sasseur outlet branding, human resources, domestic and international public relations.
She was named "Most Stylish Figure of 2019" by Yaok Institute (要客学院).
Lead Independent Director, Chairman of the Nominating and Remuneration Committee
Date of First Appointment: 16 November 2017
Dr Gu has been an Associate Professor of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of the National University of Singapore since August 2009, where he conducts lectures on the Chinese economy, economics of the public sector and urban development.
He has been an economic adviser to some provincial and municipal governments in China. As economic adviser, he provides advice to the Chinese governments for economic development of new zones and experiments on the PRC's new type of urban cluster. He was an Assistant Professor at the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore from July 2001 to July 2009, where he taught mathematical economics, microeconomics and macroeconomics and cost-benefit analysis. He also undertook research work relating to the Chinese economy, econometric modelling, reform of state-owned enterprises and international trade and finance. He carried out research on the Chinese economy, Singapore public policy and urban development from June 1997 to July 2001 as a research officer in the East Asian Institute of the National University of Singapore. He has been an Independent Director for three other companies, including China Life Insurance (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development since 2016.
Independent Director
Date of First Appointment: 16 November 2017
Mr Boselli began his career in 1959 in his family's silk mill which was established in 1586 in Garbagnate Monastero, taking over the reins from his father, Carlo Boselli. For four decades from the 1970s till the 2000s, Mr Boselli developed the company's textile supply chain and grew the business both at home and abroad. He left the family business in 2005 to pursue new goals for his career.
Mr Boselli’s distinguished career includes his time as President of the Italian Fashion Chamber, Federtessile, Fiera Internazionale di Milano, Pitti Immagine, International Silk Association (Lyon), Italian-Slovak Chamber of Commerce (Bratislava), and Italy-Hong Kong Association. For his accomplishments, Mr Boselli was appointed the Cavaliere del Lavoro (1990), the Commandeur de l'Ordre National de la Legion d'Honneur (France 2002) and the Cavaliere di Gran Croce Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (2007).
Mr Boselli was born in Como, Italy in 1941, and is married with three children. He is President of Isybank and Prestitalia (Intesa Sanpaolo Group), Italy China Council Foundation and sits on the boards of several listed and non-listed companies.
Independent Director, Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee
Date of First Appointment: 16 November 2017
Mr Cheng brings to the REIT Manager 33 years of extensive experience with Ernst & Young LLP (then known as Turquand, Youngs & Co) from April 1977 to June 2010. He was admitted as an audit partner of Ernst & Young LLP from July 1990 and he retired as a Senior Partner in June 2010. His professional experience covered financial audit, bank audit, training and group administration as well as initial public offerings in Singapore, Taiwan, China and USA. After retirement, Mr Cheng operated the famous Omakase Burger restaurant until October 2021.
Mr Cheng was an Independent Director of Singaporelisted Chip Eng Seng Corporation Ltd. from July 2011 to April 2017, where he chaired the Nominating Committee and was a member of its Audit and Remuneration Committees. He is also an Independent Director of Powermatic Data Systems Limited.
Mr Cheng was a journalist with two Chinese language daily newspapers in Singapore from December 1970 to July 1975. He is a Life Fellow member of The Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants and retired Fellow member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, United Kingdom, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Independent Director
Date of First Appointment: 16 November 2017
Mr Wu has practised with Drew & Napier LLC since April 2008, and has been a Director at Drew & Napier LLC since May 2016. His areas of practice include corporate finance, capital markets, and general corporate legal advisory work.
He was with Hoh Law Corporation (formerly known as Hoh & Partners) as a legal executive from November 2003 to April 2008, Hoh & Partners as a Chinese law adviser from January 2002 to June 2003, Colin Ng & Partners as a foreign counsel from June 2003 to October 2003, and with Pan-Commercial Pte. Ltd. as a legal adviser and foreign trade assistant from July 1999 to December 1999 where he assisted with the company's trading business and investments in the PRC. He started his career as a Judicial Clerk with the Supreme People's Court of the PRC (July 1995 to June 1998), where he was mainly responsible for reviewing legal cases, conducting legal research and drafting legal documents.
Mr Wu has been an Independent Director of Shengli Oil & Gas Pipe Holdings Limited (listed on the Mainboard of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange) since March 2015, where he chairs the Remuneration Committee and is a member of the Audit Committee and the Nominating Committee.
