On 24 October 2019, China Everbright Limited (“Everbright”, stock code: 165.HK), the only alternative asset management company from mainland China that is listed in Hong Kong and the flagship overseas investment platform of China Everbright Group, successfully hosted its 8th Everbright Investment Conference in Zhengzhou, China.

During the conference, under the theme of “Embrace the Unknown, Change for Chances”, Everbright focused on the topics of cross-border investment, as well as the prospects of development for China’s various industries. Everbright discussed ways to create opportunities and breakthroughs for development with all the different guests and attendees. Everbright also unveiled the company’s new strategy for the future.

On the morning of 24 October, the conference kicked off with a video featuring previous Everbright Investment Conferences held over the past seven years. Mr. Zhao Wei, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Everbright, delivered the opening keynote speech and announced the company’s latest strategy.

Although the macroeconomy has been fraught with uncertainty and complications lately, Mr. Zhao Wei pointed out that “there is always a light at the end of the tunnel”, meaning that despite the global economy’s weakened growth, Everbright, as China’s leading PE investment institution, does not feel pessimistic about the situation. On the contrary, Everbright is confident about the macroeconomy, the real economy, and the prospect of China further embracing the world.

Mr. Zhao Wei noted that China’s equity investment industry is facing an unprecedented, in-depth change, setting higher demands on Everbright’s development. After reviewing and concluding experiences of previous successes, Mr. Zhao Wei announced Everbright’s latest strategy.

For the strategy, Everbright has produced a five-to-10-year development plan around investments that have a sector focus, aiming to boost the competitiveness of the alternative investment business and become a world-leading cross-border asset management company. Everbright has aligned its strategies to its “One, Four, Three” plan, with alternative investment at its core business, and aiming to further enhance the firm’s four focused sectors: aircraft supply chain service, real estate management, AIoT, and elderly care management. Everbright aims to become a market leader and create synergy in the market, as well as boost its capability in marketisation, specialisation and internationalisation to protect its core business. 

To ensure the implementation of the strategy, Mr. Zhao Wei suggested five strategic moves for the company, which received positive feedback from the attending professionals. First, Everbright will focus on fundraising, investment and asset management in the four sector platforms, enhancing the business in those sectors by integrating the supply chain, and create a business ecosystem. Second, besides those four focused sectors, Everbright will continue to invest in the cultivation and active exploration of new sectors. Third, the company will continue to enhance regional collaboration with local governments and institutions through fund-of-funds, in order to contribute to economic reforms. Fourth, Everbright will further bolster its overseas investment businesses. Finally, Everbright will further expand and enrich the company’s offerings, and strengthen its capability to create tailor-made solutions to meet LPs’ diversified demands.

Mr. Zhao Wei said that Everbright has achieved a great deal in the last 22 years, since it was founded. According to the PEI 300 rankings, Everbright ranked third in China and 95th globally in the private equity investment sector, demonstrating its position as a market leader within the country. As of the first half of 2019, Everbright managed 64 funds with over HKD145.4 billion of assets under management (AUM). In the past five years, the compound annual growth rate of Everbright’s AUM reached 36%, surpassing the industrial average of 20%. At present, Everbright has invested in over 300 companies in China and globally, with over 150 companies divested through listings or M&A in China and the overseas market. At the same time, Everbright has created over HKD30 billion of profit for shareholders, and close to HKD 10 billion of cash bonus.

Facing unprecedented volatility, as a leading cross-border asset manager in China, Everbright aims to advance further through the company’s brand-new strategy. The company aims to achieve a target from PE 1.0 to 2.0, actively capture the opportunities in the new era, and grow with partners in order to provide returns to investors and create value for the company.