Charter Hall Retail REIT appoints Ms Sue Palmer as Independent Director

Ms Palmer was identified for the position following a search conducted on behalf of the Charter Hall Group and CQR Boards. CQR is undertaking an orderly phase of Board renewal.

Ms Palmer brings extensive financial and commercial experience from a career which has spanned a range of industry sectors in Australia and Asia, including construction, mining, property development, energy, infrastructure and agriculture.

Most recently, Ms Palmer was Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer at Thiess Pty Ltd and she currently sits on the boards of RCR Tomlinson, New Hope Corporation and Brisbane Grammar School.

Ms Palmer’s past directorships include MSF Sugar Ltd, Port of Brisbane Corporation, Queensland Competition Authority and the Royal Blind Foundation.

Ms Palmer is a Chartered Accountant and a Fellow of the Institute of Company Directors. With the impending retirement of Independent Director, Mr Maurice Koop in the first half of 2016, it is intended that Ms Palmer will replace Mr Koop as Audit Committee Chair at that time.

CQR Chair, John Harkness said he was pleased to welcome Ms Palmer to the Board and looked forward to her contribution:

“Sue is a highly regarded strategic operator at both a board and executive level and it’s my pleasure to be welcoming her to the Board. Sue has more than 30 years experience, with a strong focus on operational excellence and financial performance improvement. Her extensive experience in governance and risk management will be invaluable in driving investment performance to ensure CQR continues its focus on strengthening and improving the quality of its portfolio. The Board and I look forward to working with Sue as we continue to enhance the quality of our portfolio focusing on strong tenant relationships, value enhancing redevelopment and prudent capital management".