IT can be argued that Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi (pic) is the dealmaker supreme in South-East Asia. After sealing his bid for beverage maker Fraser & Neave Ltd (F&N) in 2013, Sirivadhanabhakdi spun-off the property businesses of F&N into a Frasers Centrepoint Ltd early in the year.
In terms of mergers and acquisitions, the deal to spin-off the properties of F&N into Frasers Centrepoint was the largest M&A deal in Singapore this year. It was reported that the deal to carve off the real estate division will allow each unit to focus on individual expansion strategies. Sirivadhanabhakdi bought F&N last year through his companies, including Thai Beverage and TCC Assets Ltd, for S$13.8bil.