We are delighted to have been named Affiliate of the Year at the Association of Real Estate Funds (AREF) Awards 2020.

AREF's annual awards acknowledge achievement and contribution by AREF members and others who support the work of AREF. Winners were announced on 11th December 2020 and presented via a virtual awards ceremony by Adrian Benedict, Chair of AREF.

The Affiliate of the Year Award specifically recognises the invaluable support many of AREF's affiliate member firms provide to the association in a variety of ways. The selection of nominees and winners was done with input from AREF's Management Committee, the Chairs of specialist committees and working groups, and from AREF's Secretariat.

Ocorian's Head of Alternative Investments, Simon Burgess and Senior Consultant, Melville Rodrigues are members of AREF's Corporate Governance Committee and Public Affairs Committee, respectively. They have each been actively involved in hosting, organising and providing input to a number of initiatives and events. This includes the introduction of the proposed UK Professional Investor Fund regime led by Melville Rodrigues, with the intention of offering a new fund product for UK fund managers to utilise as an onshore fund structure holding real estate, infrastructure and other assets.

Commenting on receiving the award, Melville Rodrigues said "We're thrilled to have been recognised for our contribution to AREF's operations and initiatives. AREF is a key pillar of the UK real estate funds industry and it provides a great platform for thought leadership, insight and education, ultimately helping to shape the future of the industry as a whole.

Simon Burgess added "I'd like to thank everyone at AREF for this award. As a fund administrator with specialisms in alternative assets and real estate in particular, we are always happy to work with AREF and offer our help and expertise. We look forward to our continued collaboration."