Active but not activist: Temasek’s Nagi Hamiyeh on creating value

TEMASEK’S creation of a portfolio development function four years ago has made it a more active investor than ever.

Early wins from this stance include a significant revaluation gain for restructured asset manager Keppel and record profits for national carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA).

Nagi Hamiyeh, who heads the portfolio development group, emphasises that Temasek was not the sole engineer of these transformations.

“All the decisions have to be taken by the boards of these companies. We don’t direct our companies; we don’t tell them what to do,” Hamiyeh told The Business Times in an interview.

All the same, Hamiyeh, who this year marks his 19th year with the state investor, can remember…