DGAP-News: DIC Asset AG: Sonja Wärntges Cited as 'Mind of the Year' by Real Estate Industry

Press Release
DIC Asset AG: Sonja Wärntges Cited as "Mind of the Year" by Real Estate Industry

Frankfurt am Main, 4 March 2020. Sonja Wärntges, the CEO of DIC Asset AG, was cited as "Kopf des Jahres 2020" ("mind of the year 2020") at this year's award ceremony in Cologne on 27 February. The prize was presented by Gero Bergmann of the Berlin Hyp mortgage bank within the framework of a festive gala reception at the "Dock.One." in Cologne.

Each year, a jury of 15 picks an outstanding personality from the German-speaking real estate economy as winner of the "Kopf des Jahres" category. The key criteria for the selection were exceptional achievements during the 2019 market cycle and a role model function for the entire industry.

The jury vindicated its decision not least by citing the outstanding work done by Sonja Wärntges, which was instrumental for the progress made by DIC Asset:

"The number of women heading a real estate company are still limited. And yet smaller is the number of those of whom even people outside the real estate universe have become aware. Sonja Wärntges is indeed the only female CEO of a German property PLC. Last summer, DIC made headlines under her management when it acquired the investment and asset management platform GEG German Estate Group from private equity investors KKR and TTL. DIC paid 225 million euros in cash for the acquisition and received 3.6 billion euros worth of assets for its own portfolio in return. As a result, DIC under her leadership has more than seven billion euros in assets under management and reports an FFO growth of around 40 percent today. In a single move masterminded by Wärntges, DIC seized the opportunity of the GEG acquisition to expand its institutional investor base to include domestic and international capital providers and to bolster its capacity in the developer business. The institutional fund business is expected to grow quickly in future. She positioned DIC Asset AG on the market with strategic dexterity, and is a dedicated member of the executive body of the ZIA German Industry Association. In the eyes of the jury, Sonja Wärntges was the most outstanding management personality in the industry last year. A team player, she took a measured and tactically prudent approach to crown her outstanding efforts over the past twelve months with success, and to further the cause of DIC Asset decisively."

The annual award ceremony hosted by the publishing house Immobilien Manager Verlag counts among the most prestigious events in the industry. The prize is awarded in a total of 14 categories, including outstanding projects, companies, services and persons of the real estate economies of the German-speaking countries: Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

About DIC Asset AG:

With more than 20 years of experience on the German real estate market, the company maintains a regional footprint on all major German markets through six branch offices, and has 180 assets with a combined market value of c. EUR 7.6 billion under management (as of 31/12/2019). Taking an active asset management approach, DIC Asset AG employs its proprietary, integrated real estate management platform to raise capital appreciation potential company-wide and to boost its revenues.

In its Commercial Portfolio division (EUR 1.9 billion in assets under management, as of 31/12/2019), DIC Asset AG acts as proprietor and property asset holder, and thus generates revenues both from the management of the assets and through the value optimisation of its own real estate portfolio.

In its Institutional Business division (EUR 5.7 billion in assets under management, as of 31/12/2019), which operates under the name GEG German Estate Group, DIC Asset AG generates income from structuring and managing investment vehicles with attractive dividend yields for national and international institutional investors.

DIC Asset AG has been SDAX-listed since June 2006.

IR Contact DIC Asset AG:
Peer Schlinkmann
Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
Neue Mainzer Strasse 20
D-60311 Frankfurt am Main
Phone +49 69 9454858-1492
[email protected]