CHICAGO—Debra A. Cafaro, chairman and CEO of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE: VTR) has again been named as one of Harvard Business Review’s Top 100 Best Performing CEOs in the World. Ranked at #29, this is Cafaro’s sixth consecutive year and highest achieved placement on the list. She is one of only 14 global CEOs who have been named to HBR’s list consistently since 2014 and is the highest ranked female for the financial performance metric, placing Ventas’s financial accomplishments in the top four percent of all firms measured. In addition, the Company’s non-financial performance metrics significantly improved in 2019 to its highest-ever rating for the two environmental, social and governance (ESG) measures which make up 30 percent of the final result.
Cafaro has led Ventas for more than 20 years. She joined the company in 1999 and expanded the real estate investment trust’s (REIT) market capitalization to $28 billion in 2019 from $200 million at the beginning of her tenure, and delivering a compound annual total shareholder return (TSR) of 23 percent since 2000.
“This recognition directly reflects the commitment, expertise and integrity of the entire Ventas team, who are focused on working together to continue to drive performance,” said Cafaro. “I am especially pleased that our outstanding financial results and our increased ESG investments have been recognized, as we believe they are mutually reinforcing to sustain and grow the value of our enterprise.”
The 2019 HBR ranking measured 883 CEOs from 876 companies across 29 countries. Taking a long view of business performance, the methodology is primarily based on financial metrics that include the overall shareholder return and increase in market capitalization for the CEO’s entire tenure which makes up 70 percent of the final ranking. To calculate the final position, non-financial performance is evaluated through two ESG metrics. This year, HBR increased the weight given to non-financial measures to 30 percent, up from 20 percent, to reflect the rapidly-growing focus on non-bottom-line metrics.
About Ventas
Ventas, Inc., an S&P 500 company, is a leading real estate investment trust. Its diverse portfolio of approximately 1,200 assets in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom consists of senior housing communities, medical office buildings, university-based research and innovation centers, inpatient rehabilitation and long-term acute care facilities, and health systems. Through its Lillibridge subsidiary, Ventas provides management, leasing, marketing, facility development and advisory services to highly rated hospitals and health systems throughout the United States. References to “Ventas” or the “Company” mean Ventas, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Ventas and Lillibridge can be found at ventasreit.com and lillibridge.com.
