The Plantation Capital Group and Asia Plantation Capital are on the move. A month after the Group’s strategic relocation to its global headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Asia Plantation Capital has decided to reposition its regional HQ to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Located in downtown KL, Asia Plantation Capital has taken up offices at the GTower, nestled at the intersection of Jalan Tun Razak and Jalan Ampang in Kuala Lumpur’s prime business district. The GTower is set to become one of the landmark buildings in Malaysia’s capital city, and is the first and only corporate office to be rated ‘Grade A++’ for its commercial space. It has also become Malaysia’s first Green building (BCA Gold Greenmark) sharing the core values of renewability and sustainability that lie at the heart of the Asia Plantation Capital agroforestry group , and indeed the Group’s ethos.
With the region’s largest purpose-built agarwood factory, and acres of newly-acquired plantations in Malaysia, the move is fuelled by the expansion of the company and is seen as an opportunity to further strengthen Asia Plantation Capital’s presence in Southeast Asia. In addition, as part of the company’s successful vertically integrated business model, the office will serve as the administration and marketing hub in Asia for all the end products the company and its partners produce. These range from the signature, 100% pure, natural Oud oil, to essential oils and bakhoor (the Arabic name given to wood chips soaked in fragrant oils), and on to agarwood chips, incense and other timber products including bamboo and teak.
Steve Watts, Asia Plantations Capital’s Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific, said, “This is more than a mere change of address and a move of offices. The decision has been made as part of the company’s expansion plans, and will have a positive affect not only in the region, but also globally. In much the same manner in which we have streamlined our agarwood processes, this is another step towards integrating the Group. With offices in Europe, Africa and America,” he continued, “this move will allow us to immerse ourselves in an industry that is of such importance to the world, and brings us closer to fulfilling our mission of ‘leading the way in sustainable plantation management’.”
“It has been a year since our state of the art agarwood processing factory has been fully operational. To date, we have had a large number of visitors and/or clients paying visits, some of whom are the most influential investment and fund managers in the world. With close proximity to the factory in Johor Bahru, Malaysia,” Watts concluded, “these trips can be carried out in a more efficient and sustainable manner. And we mustn’t forget another key advantage that will be appreciated by our customers and stakeholders alike, which is the lower operating costs that Malaysia provides, which help us in improving our bottom line.”
The office will be officially launched by Asia Plantation Capital’s Board of Director, Yang Amat Mulia Tunku Naquiyuddin on 24th March 2016.
Asia Plantation Capital was officially established in 2008 (although it had been operating privately since 2002), and the Plantation Capital Group has more than 2,000 members of staff worldwide. With 126 plantations across the globe, the company has plans to expand further into other forestry products such as bamboo and teak in the very near future.
