Australian Asset Management Guru To Speak At Conf.

MEDIA RELEASE Monday May 26 2003

AUSTRALIAN ASSET MANAGEMENT GURU TO SPEAK AT PROPERTY CONFERENCE

Internationally respected asset managment specialist, Dr Penny Burns is to be one of the 28 speakers (8 of whom are from overseas) at the up coming New Zealand Property Institute's conference being held at the Hyatt Hotel, Auckland, on Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th July 2003.

New Zealand Property Institute CEO, Conor English said today, "Good Asset Management used to be OK - now it needs to be excellent. Dr Burns will bring some interesting and useful perspectives, models and case studies.

"In New Zealand recently, especially in Local and Central Government, we have seen new parameters put on Asset, Property and Finance Managers to improve the assets overall performance. The latest amendments to the Local Government Act, for example, require New Zealand Councils to have an asset management plan. Dr Burns work will help give an international perspective to the issues that many in New Zealand face implementing such plans and monitoring assets"

Her recent work has included a major project working for the 79 councils in Victoria, Australia, covering A$23.3 billion in infrastructure and assets.

Dr Burns said from Australia today "Our job on this project was to assist Councils to measure their asset management performance and design the indicators so that they not only serve the primary objective of assisting management but they also serve, in a highly aggregated form, to reassure the State Government that councils know what they are doing and are improving in their asset management. It was a first class project, the lessons from which I am sure would be applicable in the New Zealand context."

Dr Burns is the Editor of "Strategic Asset Management" a fortnightly information service for practicing Asset Managers and Policy Makers. She convenes the "Virtual Asset Management Community" at www.amqi.com, a website for asset management resources, information exchange and networking. Besides her work in research and modeling and the development of tools and technologies for Asset Managers, she travels extensively and speaks widely on Asset Management. Dr Burns is CEO of AMQ International. This September she will take up the position of Deputy Director General of the new Asia Pacific Institute for Good Asset Management which is headquartered in Kuala Lumpur.

"This will be another excellent conference session which will give highly relevant insights into Asset Managment. We expect that most Asset, Property and Finance Managers will not want to miss it," Mr English concluded.

ENDS

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