Introduction
UOL Group Limited (UOL) is a robust property and hospitality group dedicated to creating value, shaping future. The Group has three core businesses of Property Development, Property Investments and Hotel Operations with total assets of about $20 billion. UOL has a geographical presence in 13 countries – Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Australia, China, Bangladesh, UK, USA and Canada.

Through its hotel subsidiary, Pan Pacific Hotels Group Limited (PPHG), UOL owns and/or manages over 30 hotels, resorts and serviced suites in Asia, Oceania and North America under two acclaimed brands: “Pan Pacific” and PARKROYAL. Through its Singapore-listed property subsidiary, United Industrial Corporation Limited (UIC), UOL owns an extensive portfolio of prime commercial assets and hotels in Singapore.

Even as UOL grows from strength to strength, the Group remains true to its core values, building on Passion, Innovation, Enterprise, Corporate Social Responsibility and People to drive inspirations and fulfil aspirations for its stakeholders.

Corporate Culture and Company Activities
UOL values and recognises its people as the leading asset, and the culture of Competitiveness, Commitment, Competency, Creativity, Collaboration and Caring, shapes its people and drives the Group forward. The Group’s hospitality arm, PPHG, is a pioneer of inclusive hiring in Singapore’s hospitality sector and collaborates with community partners such as SG Enable to offer students with special needs internships and employment.

The Group’s community efforts are focused on children, youth, education, sports and the arts. In addition to cash donations and in-kind support, UOL also encourages its people to help the less fortunate. For example, staff volunteerism activities are organised for children from Care Corner Student Care Centre, a charity supported by UOL that provides before-and-after school care for students, including underprivileged children.

Particularly, the Group is a long-term supporter of Very Special Arts (VSA). It works with the charity to showcase artworks by artists with disabilities at its residential showflats and properties. To celebrate UOL’s 50th anniversary in 2014, it commissioned 18 art pieces by VSA artists and installed them in the pedestrian underpass that links United Square and Velocity@Novena Square, the Group’s two malls in Novena.

Achievements and Impact
UOL achieved a revenue of $2,397.3 million for financial year 2018, a 13% rise from the year before. The Group has close to 2,000 employees in Singapore, with about 86% employed in PPHG. Over the years, UOL has shaped Singapore’s skyline with the successful rejuvenation of mature precincts such as Tiong Bahru and Novena through residential and commercial developments. In addition, it has built up a portfolio of high-yielding assets through development and asset enhancement initiatives. These include award-winning PARKROYAL on Pickering, a 367-key green hotel and Principal Garden, a 663-unit condominium (photo on the left).

In 2018, UOL’s interest in UIC crossed 50% and UIC became a subsidiary. Through UIC holdings, the Group is now one of the largest office space owners in Singapore, with access to over 210,000 sqm of prime commercial space in the Central Business District (CBD). The Group’s commercial portfolio enjoys high occupancy and a strong tenant base and is poised to benefit from the government’s Draft Master Plan 2019 to rejuvenate the CBD. Overseas, UOL has built strong income streams in key gateway cities, such as Sydney and London. In addition to acquiring income-producing properties, the Group also undertakes development projects, with mixed-use development One Bishopsgate Plaza in London targeted to be completed in 2020.

Future Direction
With disruptive technology changing the way businesses work, UOL will continue to innovate to remain competitive. It does so through digitalisation and adopting a customercentric approach. These initiatives include enhancing the experiential appeal of UOL’s malls and customer loyalty platforms such as UOL’s Power of Purchase Program (U-POPP) which provide deeper insights into shoppers’ behaviours. Plans are underway to entrench design thinking to create better products for stakeholders.

Going forward, UOL seeks to create a more balanced property portfolio. While Singapore remains an important market, the Group looks to increase its presence in key gateway cities to grow recurring income for its commercial and hospitality businesses. In 2018, UOL acquired 72 Christie Street, an office property in Sydney, which is fully tenanted on a long lease. In the same year, it expanded to Jakarta, through the acquisition of a 180-suite PARKROYAL Serviced Suites Jakarta, and there are plans to grow its global hospitality footprint further through owned hotels or hotel management agreements. As a responsible corporate citizen, UOL seeks to incorporate sustainable practices in its business operations. It does so through employing innovative technologies such as prefabricated prefinished volumetric construction method for some residential projects and creating inclusive spaces at its properties.