"Our shareholders had the foresight to establish a unique investor-owned model that is now a growing global company that has maintained its core purpose and values. Our new name is symbolic of our heritage, uniqueness, calibre of talent and the sophistication of our investments."

"Our investment strategy stays the same. We continue to prioritise outcomes for investors by growing our investment capability, investing in key internal functions and improving service delivery capabilities. We remain focused on being a trusted institutional investment manager, assisting our investors to access global markets and delivering strong results."

IFM Investor also announced that it is set to establish an office in Tokyo, Japan, early in 2014 to be headed up by Eddy Schipper, Executive Director of Business Development.

The initiative is part of IFM's strategy to support its investors' needs through continued global expansion. IFM opened an office in Berlin this year and vastly enhanced capacity on the ground in the UK and US.  25% of IFM staff are now based overseas.

IFM Investor' CEO Brett Himbury said:

"Our investors are increasingly seeking investment opportunities in Asia, and Tokyo provides a strong hub for accessing both Japan and the broader region."This is a long-term commitment for IFM. Initially, we will focus on our global infrastructure debt assets and then look to broaden this over time. Under Eddy's leadership, we will hire an initial team and also work closely with Japanese regulators and institutional investors to align our model with market needs and practices."