New World Development Co. chief executive officer Adrian Cheng has resigned, after the third-generation heir steered the Hong Kong property developer to its first annual loss in two decades.
Cheng will become a non-executive director effective today, the company said in a stock exchange filing on Thursday, confirming an earlier Bloomberg News report. Chief operating officer Ma Siu-Cheung will take the CEO role.
Chengâs unexpected departure comes after the company amassed borrowings that made it the most debt-laden major developer in Hong Kong. His resignation adds to questions over succession at the family conglomerate, whose business also spans from jewelry to logistics.
Cheng, 44, will âdevote more time on public services and other personal commitments,â the company said.
The move is rare in Hong Kongâs property industry, where the biggest players are all controlled by families that carefully plan their succession. Long assumed to be a favourite of the late patriarch Cheng Yu-Tung, Adrian had until recently been seen as the heir apparent of the business group led by billionaire Henry Cheng.
New World posted a net loss of HK$17.1 billion ($2.2 billion) for the financial year ended in June, a separate statement showed. The company had earlier warned of the loss, citing asset impairments, losses on investments and higher interest rates. New Worldâs woes have been compounded by a real estate slump as Hong Kong loses its allure as a financial hub.
Regardless of the outcome of the leadership drama, New World is likely to sell more assets to avoid a liquidity crunch, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Patrick Wong said before the announcement.
âIts growing urgency to raise cash may prompt it to sell some Hong Kong properties on the cheap, a sign that itâs pushing hard to steady itself after heavy asset writedowns left its balance sheet reeling,â Wong wrote in a note.
Shares of New World were suspended on Thursday before the announcements. The stock has underperformed its peers, sliding more than 30 percent since the beginning of the year, compared with the 12.8 percent decline in the Hang Seng Properties Index as of Wednesdayâs close.
New Worldâs dollar bonds rose to over three-week highs on news of the leadership change. Its 8.625 percent note due in 2028 climbed 2.3 cents to 93.4 cents, according to Bloomberg-compiled prices. Its 2029 note gained 2.2 cents to 75.5 cents.
New Worldâs debt level â the highest among its rivals in the past few years â has become a concern for investors amid high borrowing costs and a weak property market. Its net debt to equity was 82.7 percent at the end of last year, compared with 41.4 percent at peer Henderson Land Development Co. and 21.2 percent at Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd., according to Bloomberg Intelligence.
âWe donât think management change can fix the structural problems facing the company,â said Sam Wong, an equity analyst at Jefferies LLC. âNWD needs to repair its balance sheet in order to meaningfully turn around.â Margin pressure on the residential and retail sectors still cloud the outlook, he added.
But the revamp will likely boost investorsâ confidence in the company, even if it doesnât have a significant impact on its overall operations, according to Jeff Zhang, an analyst at Morningstar Inc. New leadership will likely accelerate debt repayments, he said.
Adrian Cheng joined the familyâs flagship developer in 2007 as an executive director and soon helped lead the company before cementing his position as CEO in 2020.
A Harvard graduate with a stint at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. as an investment banker, Cheng has transformed the traditional property company into a brand with artsy apartment blocks and ambitious projects while accumulating heavy debt.
The Cheng familyâs succession plan was thrown under the spotlight last year after Henry said he was still looking for a successor for the familyâs conglomerate, shattering the previous assumption in the business world that Adrian would pick up the baton. The Chengs, valued at $23.6 billion, are among Asiaâs wealthiest clans.
By Shawna Kwan
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