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W. P. Carey

wpc · NYSE Real Estate
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Ticker wpc
Exchange NYSE
Sector Real Estate
Industry REIT - Diversified
Employees 51-200
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FY2017 Annual Report · W. P. Carey
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2017 Annual Report

45 Years of Investing for the Long Run®

Net lease investing focus

Disciplined acquisition strategy

Proactive asset management

A history of Doing Good While Doing Well®

A constant  
for 45 years

Dear Fellow Shareholders,

2018 marks a number of milestones for W. P. Carey: our 45th 
anniversary, our 20th year as a public company, our 20th year  
of delivering rising dividend income to shareholders, and, for  
me personally, my first year as CEO. Over my 16-year career at  
W. P. Carey, I have been closely involved in building the portfolio 
of net lease assets we own today, and I am proud to have been 
part of the company’s evolution into one of the leading diversified 
net lease REITs. This has afforded me a unique perspective. In this 
year’s letter I am excited to explore our recent accomplishments 
and future direction, building on the core investment principles 
that have guided us throughout our history of Investing for the 
Long Run.

Our Perspective

W. P. Carey was a pioneer of net lease investing and today 
ranks among the largest and foremost REITs operating in this 
space. We see virtually every investment opportunity brought 
to market and many that are not, providing unparalleled insight. 
Given this vantage point, I believe we will look back at 2017 as 
a period of peak pricing for the current cycle. The sustained 
strength of commercial real estate markets in both the U.S. and 
Europe positively impacted the value of our existing portfolio and 
provided a favorable environment for dispositions. In light of that, 
and adhering to our underwriting discipline, we elected to be a 
net seller for the year. 

Looking ahead, we expect sellers to become more motivated, 
allowing buyers to regain some leverage. Coupled with the 
outlook for higher interest rates, we anticipate a more favorable 
acquisition environment over the near to medium term and as a 
result, we expect to be a net acquirer in 2018. Furthermore, we 
believe the limitations on the deductibility of interest as compared 
to the full deductibility of rental expense in the recent U.S. tax 
reform act will support corporate sale-leaseback activity, which 
often competes with debt financing.

Our Approach

We focus on assets that have critical importance to our tenants’ 
businesses. Our investments are originated primarily through 
sale-leaseback and build-to-suit transactions, augmented by 
opportunities sourced from within our portfolio. Like other 
real estate investors, evaluating the fundamental value of the 
underlying real estate is central to our established process. 
Our expertise in credit underwriting and our ability to perform 

in-depth analysis of each tenant’s business, industry position and 
financial health enable us to source, evaluate and invest in a wide 
array of opportunities. Our ability to execute on more complex 
transactions distinguishes us from other net lease investors, 
driving more meaningful yield spreads and significant value 
creation through the lease structure itself, including longer lease 
terms, stronger financial covenants when warranted and superior 
rent escalations. 

I continue to believe in the importance of internally generated 
growth. By concentrating our investments outside of the 
commodity segment of net lease, we have been able to structure 
inflation-based rent escalations and attractive fixed rent increases 
into our leases. This is especially valuable during periods of rising 
inflation. Compared to prior years, inflation picked up in both 
the U.S. and Europe, which was reflected in our same-store rent 
growth. Looking ahead, the outlook for global economic growth 
and declining unemployment suggest that inflation will continue 
to rise. Among net lease REITs we have one of the highest 
percentages of annualized base rent coming from leases tied 
to CPI, thereby ensuring we are among the best positioned to 
benefit from higher inflation. 

Diversification has long been a distinguishing characteristic of 
W. P. Carey’s approach, and having spent my career investing 
in commercial real estate, I firmly believe in its benefits for the 
net lease asset class. In addition to insulating the portfolio from 
disruptions in one area of the market, diversification expands 
our opportunity set and enables us to direct our investments 
to the most attractive risk–reward opportunities. Over multiple 
real estate cycles, we have been a prudent allocator of capital, 
adjusting our portfolio composition by proactively selling into 
strength when we believe markets are mispriced and buying into 
weakness when we see opportunity. 

2017 Annual Report | 1

back from regions like Southeast Asia, where we lack a path to 
scale. Over the near term, we plan to exit additional non-core 
investments to further refine our geographic focus on North 
America and Europe. 

Our investment and asset management activity does not happen 
in a vacuum. We constantly look to the other side of our balance 
sheet to assess our ability to access various forms of capital, with 
particular focus on ensuring we have the appropriate flexibility 
and liquidity to take advantage of future investment opportunities 
at an advantageous cost of capital. During 2017, we successfully 
executed a €500-million eurobond issuance and renewed our 
credit facility, extending the vast majority of our debt maturities to 
2021 and beyond. Since year-end we have issued an additional 

Rent Escalations*

99% of our leases have contractual rent  
increases, and 68% are tied to CPI, positioning  
us well for a higher inflationary environment

43%

Inflatio

n

-
li

n

k

e

d

1%

4%

25%

27%

Uncapped CPI (43%)
CPI-based (25%)
Fixed (27%)
Other (4%)
None (1%)

*Based on contractual minimum ABR.

Total Return

Since going public in 1998, W. P. Carey  
has significantly outpaced REIT indices and  
the broader markets

During 2017, disruption to traditional retailers in the U.S. 
continued, validating the benefits of diversification as well as 
our long-held belief that the market is oversaturated by the 
commodity segment of retail real estate. By proactively managing 
our exposure and selling the majority of our U.S. big-box retail 
assets in 2011, we have maintained an underweight allocation 
to retail, with negligible exposure to high-risk properties. Since 
then, we have allocated capital in the U.S. towards more attractive 
risk–reward investments in the warehouse and industrial sectors. 
In Europe, which has higher barriers to development, our focus in 
the retail sector has been on tenants insulated from e-commerce 
disruption, such as DIY retailers and auto dealerships, reducing 
our risk.

Unlike many net lease REITs, proactive asset management is 
central to W. P. Carey’s approach, enabling us to stay well ahead 
of lease expirations and providing additional opportunities for 
internally driven growth. In a year during which we opted to be 
less active as a buyer, we were able to maintain a weighted 
average lease term of close to ten years and to achieve strong 
rent recapture with minimal capital expenditure. We also reduced 
our near-term lease expirations and further lowered vacant space, 
ending the year at close to full occupancy. Given the size and 
composition of our portfolio, proactive asset management has 
also provided us with a meaningful pool of follow-on investment 
opportunities through which we are able to create significant 
value by investing discretionary capital into existing assets. 
Such deals often offer above-market yields and enhance overall 
portfolio quality by extending lease term, modernizing assets and 
increasing criticality.

Building Long-Term Shareholder Value

In addition to our investment and asset management activities, 
we are building a more valuable company by refining our focus 
and simplifying our business. The most significant development 
for W. P. Carey during 2017 was our strategic decision to exit 
retail fundraising activities, manage the programs through 
their natural liquidity cycle and ultimately exit the investment 
management business altogether. All net lease transactions are 
now exclusively available for our balance sheet, and our business 
continues to move towards more predictable and higher-quality 
income streams. Equally important, the narrative surrounding the 
company has been clarified and simplified—something we expect 
to further benefit our cost of capital over time—thereby enhancing 
our ability to grow earnings through accretive investments. 

We have made meaningful and sustainable reductions to our 
cost structure over the last two years through the elimination 
of costs associated with non-traded retail fundraising activities 
and a heightened focus on operational efficiencies across the 
firm. We have also continued to streamline our business by 
opportunistically divesting non-core investments and pulling 

€500 million of eurobonds at an attractive rate, which has 
minimized our exposure to floating-rate debt and increased our 
natural hedge on euro-denominated income and investments. 

We have managed our balance sheet conservatively and remain 
committed to maintaining our investment grade ratings. Our credit 
profile has continued to improve by steadily replacing mortgage 
loans with unsecured debt. We have a well-laddered series of 
debt maturities and minimal floating-rate debt, thereby limiting our 
exposure to near-term interest rate volatility. Furthermore, with 
ample liquidity and a sizable dispositions pipeline we have the 
flexibility to make new investments without an immediate need to 
issue equity. 

Reflecting the advancements we made during 2017, we 
increased both our AFFO and dividends while maintaining a 
conservative payout ratio. AFFO per diluted share increased 
to $5.30, and dividends declared totaled $4.01 per share. Our 
results demonstrate our commitment to maximizing long-term 
shareholder value as we increased earnings while improving 
the quality of our portfolio and the composition of our revenue 
streams. Our shareholders earned a total return of 23.9% for the 
year, significantly outperforming the MSCI US REIT Index and our 
direct net lease peers. 

Looking ahead to 2018 and beyond, we remain focused on our 
primary goal of maximizing recurring revenues and sustainable 
cash flow to enhance shareholder value. Today, we are a stronger, 
leaner and more focused company with a history of long-term 
performance and commitment to delivering superior risk-adjusted 
returns for our shareholders. 

In Closing 

In conjunction with the evolution of our business, our ongoing 
commitment to Doing Good While Doing Well, established 
by our founder Wm. Polk Carey, helps enhance and improve 
our local communities and shared environment. As part of 
our larger corporate responsibility, we strive to address the 
environmental and sustainability needs of our tenants and the 
communities in which we operate as well as the overall wellness 
of our employees. We are dedicated to supporting educational 
programs, hospitals, museums and other community organizations 
as a company and through our Carey Forward program, which 
encourages employees to become involved in philanthropic and 
charitable activities. 

I would like to take this opportunity to recognize my predecessor, 
Mark DeCesaris, for his leadership in guiding the company 
through its recent period of evolution and his many contributions 
to W. P. Carey throughout his 12-year tenure. I would also like to 
acknowledge and thank our Board of Directors for their valuable 
guidance and oversight.

Over the course of my career, I have been keenly focused on 
investments for our portfolio of real estate assets. However,  
I recognize that the company’s most important assets walk in the 
door each morning. I’m privileged to lead the team of exceptional 
people we have, and I feel fortunate to be part of the journey that 
Bill began 45 years ago. I can’t think of a more exciting time in our 
history to be leading W. P. Carey.

With best regards,

Annual Dividends

W. P. Carey has a 20-year history  
of dividend increases

Jason E. Fox
Chief Executive Officer

$1.96 


$2.44 


$4.01


WPC

MSCI
US REIT
Index

S&P
500

453% 

301% 

1,024% 

$1.65  


$1.73 


Total return from January 21, 1998, through market close December 31, 2017. 
Reflects the reinvestment of all dividends.

Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. 

Annual dividend per share reflects sum of quarterly dividends per share for the respective year.

1998

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2017

2 | W. P. Carey Inc.

2017 Annual Report | 3

 
 
Celebrating our 45-year history

W. P. Carey & Co., Inc.  
founded by Wm. Polk Carey 
and pioneers pooled net 
lease assets to investors

W. P. Carey provides first LBO 
sale-leaseback financing for 
William E. Simon’s acquisition 
of Gibson Greetings 

London investment office opens, 
establishing the company’s  
European presence

1973

1982

1999

“As we celebrate 45 years of Investing 
for the Long Run, we also honor the 
lifelong commitment of our founder, 
Wm. Polk Carey, to Doing Good While 
Doing Well. His vision continues to 
guide us in fulfilling the objectives 
of our shareholders as well as our 
employees, our tenants and the 
communities in which we operate.”

  —Jason E. Fox, CEO

4 | W. P. Carey Inc.

2017 Annual Report | 5

1979

1998

2000

CPA® series of investment  
programs begins, and W. P. Carey 
institutes independent Investment 
Committee led by Equitable Life 
Assurance executive George  
Stoddard to review all transactions

Carey Diversified LLC 
created from CPA®1-9 
and begins trading on 
the NYSE (NYSE:CDC)

W. P. Carey & Co. LLC  
(NYSE:WPC) created  
from the merger of  
Carey Diversified LLC  
and W. P. Carey & Co., Inc.

What began as an innovative investment firm in 1973 has evolved into  
one of today’s leading diversified net lease REITs, with an enterprise  
value of more than $11.5 billion. 

The W. P. Carey Foundation  
endows the W. P. Carey School  
of Business at Arizona State  
University, which quickly becomes 
internationally ranked

Amsterdam office opens, establishing  
a European asset management team  
to oversee the company’s growing  
European footprint

The W. P. Carey Foundation 
donates $30 million to the 
University of Maryland School 
of Law to establish the Francis 
King Carey School of Law

W. P. Carey receives investment grade corporate 
ratings from Moody’s and S&P 

W. P. Carey merges with CPA®:16 – Global

W. P. Carey increases 
its quarterly dividend to 
$1.00 per share

Consistent with its ongoing strategy of replacing 
mortgage debt with unsecured borrowings,  
W. P. Carey broadens its access to public markets  
with its inaugural U.S. bond offering

W. P. Carey announces initial common stock offering

2003

2008

2011

2014

2017

2006

2009

The W. P. Carey Foundation  
donates $50 million to  
Johns Hopkins University  
to establish the Carey  
Business School 

In the wake of the 2008  
financial crisis, W. P. Carey  
remains a steady source of  
capital, providing more than 
$540 million of sale-leaseback 
financing for companies in the 
U.S. and Europe at a time when 
other sources are unavailable

2012

The company mourns the 
loss of its founder, Wm.  
Polk Carey, who passes 
away at the age of 81 

W. P. Carey & Co. LLC  
merges with CPA®:15  
and becomes a publicly  
traded REIT (NYSE:WPC)

6 | W. P. Carey Inc.

2015

2018

W. P. Carey expands its access 
to public markets with its  
inaugural eurobond offering

W. P. Carey celebrates  
45 years of Investing for 
the Long Run, 20 years  
as a publicly listed  
company on the NYSE  
and 20 years of investing  
in Europe

2017 Annual Report | 7

 
2017 Portfolio Overview  

Our commitment to a diversified portfolio of high-quality real estate and our 
differentiated net lease strategy have afforded us greater opportunities to grow 
our annualized base rent while maintaining high occupancy levels and a nearly 
ten-year weighted average lease term. 

$681 million
in annualized base rent

99%
of leases with contractual 
rent increases

9.6 years
weighted average 
lease term 

887
net lease properties

8 | W. P. Carey Inc.

2017 Annual Report | 9

Our Portfolio Strategy enables us to achieve superior risk-adjusted returns 
through our disciplined acquisition approach and proactive asset management.

Portfolio Value-Add Initiatives

Capitalizing on opportunities in diverse markets and industries

We continue to improve portfolio quality by securing long-term net lease assets that meet our 
investment criteria, repositioning existing assets through re-leasing and restructuring, and taking 
advantage of market opportunities for strategic dispositions and capital recycling.  

In 2017, we continued to optimize our portfolio by taking advantage of frothy markets to execute 
dispositions and selectively acquire new assets, ending the year as a net seller. Our access to  
a diverse set of market opportunities allowed us to improve the quality of our portfolio and cash flow.

Disciplined Acquisition Approach

Directly Sourced Sale-Leasebacks  
and Build-to-Suit Transactions

Proactive Asset Management

Opportunistic Investments  
with Existing Tenants

Four Key Criteria 
•  Fundamental value of real estate
•  Transaction structure and pricing
•  Creditworthiness of tenant
•  Criticality of asset to tenant’s business

•  Lease extensions 
•  Expansions and build-to-suits
•  Renovations and redevelopments
•  Follow-on deals

Adhering to our disciplined acquisition approach

We stayed disciplined in our underwriting and did not chase deals for the sake of  
short-term earnings growth when we did not have conviction in their long-term value and  
risk–return characteristics.

Proactively managing our owned real estate portfolio

We continued to proactively manage our owned real estate portfolio throughout the year,  
making value-add investments with existing tenants, maintaining high portfolio occupancy  
rates and extending our weighted average lease term.

10 | W. P. Carey Inc.

2017 Annual Report | 11

Our 2017 Portfolio Activity reflects our established acquisitions discipline and our 
ability to add value through proactive asset management of our existing assets.

Astellas*

Ontex

Gestamp

IDS Manufacturing

Veritas Technologies

AutoNation

Proactive Repositioning:

Build-to-Suit Investment: 

Property Expansion: 

Strategic Disposition:

New Acquisition:

Opportunity to fund up to $56 
million to convert an existing office 
building into a state-of-the-art life 
sciences facility for a new tenant

Outcome:

Created substantial value from 
a new 18-year, triple-net lease 
with annual rent escalations with 
a wholly owned subsidiary of 
an investment grade Japanese 
pharmaceutical company

Property at a Glance: 

Tenant: Astellas Institute for 
Regenerative Medicine 

Location: Massachusetts 

Upon completion:
Property Type: Life sciences facility 

Lease Term: 18-year, triple-net lease 
with annual fixed rent escalations 
with a new tenant 

Size: 270,000 square feet

*Photo is an artistic rendering and is subject to change.

Opportunity to capitalize on our 
presence and capabilities in Europe 
to provide build-to-suit financing 
for a critical, modern and strategic 
industrial facility located in a 
growing market 

Outcome:

Secured a long-term net lease 
with annual rent escalations with a 
leading global supplier of personal 
hygiene products 

Property at a Glance:

Tenant: Ontex 

Closing Date: November 2017 

Purchase Price: $16 million 

Location: Poland 

Property Type: Industrial 

Lease Term: 15-year, triple-net 
lease with annual CPI-based rent 
escalations, upon completion

Size: 281,000 square feet 

Opportunity to provide build-to-suit 
financing for a strategic new facility 
to meet existing tenant’s expansion 
and growth requirements 

Outcome: 

Completed construction in May 
2017 and secured a new lease 
with annual rent escalations, which 
extended the original lease term by 
8.75 years. Expansion added asset 
capacity and criticality, generating 
accretive cash flow and improved 
overall renewal likelihood

Property at a Glance: 

Tenant: Gestamp 

Location: Alabama 

Property Type: Auto parts 
manufacturing facility 

Lease Term: 20-year, triple-net 
lease with annual CPI-based rent 
escalations with an existing tenant 

Size: 763,000 square feet

Strategic market opportunity to exit 
three properties no longer aligned 
with our geographic focus on North 
America and Europe

Outcome: 

Timely execution enabled 
properties to be sold at an attractive 
price, creating an opportunity 
to recycle capital into accretive 
investments, resulting in improved 
portfolio quality

Properties at a Glance: 

Tenant: IDS Manufacturing

Location: Malaysia and Thailand 

Property Type: Industrial (MY) and 
warehouse (TH)

Size: 375,000 square feet (MY) and 
773,000 square feet (TH)

Opportunity to leverage corporate 
credit underwriting capabilities 
to assess sub-investment grade 
tenant and pursue an acquisition 
of a critical Class-A office in an 
established submarket leased to a 
portfolio company of a major private 
equity firm

Outcome:

Structured a long-term sale-
leaseback with annual rent 
escalations for a leading information 
software and data management 
solutions company

Property at a Glance:

Tenant: Veritas Technologies

Closing Date: November 2017 

Purchase Price: $26 million 

Location: Minnesota 

Property Type: Office 

Lease Term: 15-year, triple-net lease 
with fixed annual rent escalations 

Size: 136,000 square feet 

Proactive Repositioning:

Opportunity to proactively re-tenant 
an existing asset and replace a 
short remaining lease term with a 
long-term lease to an investment 
grade tenant

Outcome:

Secured a new long-term, triple-net 
lease with annual rent escalations 
for America’s largest auto retailer, 
resulting in a sizable rent increase 
with no landlord cap-ex, no 
downtime, continued cash flow  
and improved overall returns

Property at a Glance: 

Tenant: AutoNation 

Location: Washington 

Upon completion:
Property Type: Auto dealership 

Lease Term: 20-year, triple-net 
lease with annual CPI-based rent 
escalations with a new tenant

Size: 143,000 square feet

12 | W. P. Carey Inc.

2017 Annual Report | 13

Our Portfolio Diversification offers a wider opportunity set for new acquisitions 
across geography, property type and tenant industry, thereby insulating us from 
local market disruptions while enabling us to invest in sectors with the most 
attractive long-term, risk-adjusted returns at any given time. 

Geographic Diversification*

Property Type Diversification*

Tenant Industry Diversification*

Other (2%)

e (30 %)

p
o
r
u
E

N

orth

A

m

e

r

i

c

a

(

6
8
%

)

10%

5%

14%

30%

17%

25%

United States (65.9%)
Canada (1.9%)
Mexico (0.4%)
Germany (8.6%)
United Kingdom (5.1%)
Spain (4.5%)
Poland (2.7%)
The Netherlands (2.3%)
France (2.2%)

Finland (1.9%)
Norway (0.9%)
Hungary (0.5%)
Austria (0.5%)
Sweden (0.4%)
Belgium (0.3%)
Other1 (1.9%)

1 

Other includes assets 
in Australia and Japan.

Industrial (29.7%)
Office (25.0%)
Retail (16.5%)
Warehouse (14.0%)
Self-Storage (4.7%)
Other2 (10.1%)

2

Other includes ABR from tenants within the 
following property types: education facility, 
fitness facility, hotel, net lease student housing  
and theater.

* Based on contractual minimum ABR. 
Numbers may not add up to 100% 
due to rounding.

Retail Stores3 17.6%
Consumer Services 10.5%
Automotive 8.3%
Sovereign and Public Finance 6.4%
Construction and Building 5.4%
Hotel, Gaming and Leisure 5.2%
Beverage, Food and Tobacco 4.6%
Cargo Transportation 4.3%
Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals 4.2%
High-Tech Industries 4.2%
Containers, Packaging and Glass 4.0%
Media: Advertising, Printing and Publishing 3.5%
Capital Equipment 3.3%
Business Services 2.1%
Grocery 1.7%
Durable Consumer Goods 1.7%
Wholesale 1.6%
Aerospace and Defense 1.6%
Banking 1.5%
Chemicals, Plastics and Rubber 1.4%
Metals and Mining 1.4%
Non-Durable Consumer Goods 1.2%
Oil and Gas 1.2%
Telecommunications 1.0%
Other4 2.1%

3

4

Includes automotive dealerships.

Includes ABR from tenants in the following industries: electricity, environmental 
industries, forest products and paper, insurance and media: broadcasting 
and subscription. 

14 | W. P. Carey Inc.

2017 Annual Report | 15

 
 
Doing Good While Doing Well

As we celebrate our 45th anniversary, we 
reflect proudly on our beginnings in 1973 
and our evolution to one of today’s leading 
diversified net lease REITs. We remember 
our founder Wm. Polk Carey and honor 
his vision and values upon which our 
company was built and that continue to 
guide us today. His generosity, sense of 
duty and lifelong commitment to Doing 
Good While Doing Well and Investing for 
the Long Run are central to our corporate 
culture and our commitment to having a 
positive impact on the larger communities 
in which we live and operate.

Bill Carey believed—as we do today 
—that our business by its very nature 
promotes prosperity, but he also believed 
that our responsibility did not end there. 
He understood that good corporate 
citizenship was fundamental to good 
business and to creating long-term value 
for our investors. 

Environmental, Social & Governance 
(ESG) integration is core to our founding 
principles. In 2017, as part of our ESG 
initiative, we introduced a tenant outreach 
program to encourage our 200+ tenants 
to join our sustainability efforts, providing 
education, ideas and support for property-
level sustainability solutions. 

In addition, the health and wellness of our 
employees and their families are paramount 
to W. P. Carey. Through our comprehensive 
benefits package, we invest in the financial, 
physical and mental well-being of our 
employees. Furthermore, we are committed 
to maintaining effective corporate 
governance practices that promote and 
protect the long-term interests of our 
employees, shareholders and tenants. 
In 2017, we continued to enhance our 
governance structure to help strengthen 
our company and grow responsibly for all 
W. P. Carey stakeholders.

16 | W. P. Carey Inc.

Charitable Giving is part of the fabric  
of W. P. Carey. In 2017, W. P. Carey 
supported numerous educational 
programs, hospitals and other  
community organizations, including:

•  Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
•  NewYork-Presbyterian 
•  The Metropolitan Museum of Art
•  The Museum of Modern Art
•  The New York Botanical Garden
•  Wildlife Conservation Society

Carey Forward was established in  
2013 as a tribute to Bill Carey’s sense  
of philanthropic duty and passion for  
building and fostering productive 
relationships between our company and 
our communities. Through the program, 
employees are encouraged to participate 
in charitable activities, sharing their  
time, skills and enthusiasm with others.  
W. P. Carey employees help enhance and 
improve our communities through youth 
development, education, hunger relief, 
healthcare, arts and restoration. In 2017, 
Carey Forward supported the following 
organizations:

•  American Cancer Society
•  City Harvest
•  Hurricane-relief Efforts
•  New York Blood Center
•  Volunteers of America

$50K

raised for hurricane-relief efforts 

$14K 

raised for breast cancer awareness  
and research 

$10K 

$200K 

raised for City Harvest’s Skip Lunch Fight  
Hunger campaign against childhood hunger 

donated by W. P. Carey to support local  
museums, parks, hospitals and more 

“ Doing Good While Doing Well means that when we 
are financing properties for companies, we are also 
helping the communities those companies serve. 
It is important to always ask, ‘What is the impact of 
what we are doing? What is good for society?  
What is good for the country?’” 
—Wm. Polk Carey, Founder

2017 Annual Report | 17

 
Our 45 Years of Success is a result of the hard work and dedication  
of our employees.

Corporate Information

Our founder Wm. Polk Carey’s vision of Doing Good While  
Doing Well lives on through the more than 200 W. P. Carey 
employees around the world and their personal commitments 
to making a difference for our business and partners, local 
communities and beyond. 

Bill Carey always believed that in order to build a successful 
business, you had to build a successful team first with a range  
of diverse skills and backgrounds. Today, W. P. Carey employees 
represent more than 20 countries and speak more than 25 
languages. We strive to create a diverse and challenging 
work environment where collaboration, outstanding effort and 
exceptional dedication are recognized and rewarded. 

Our employees shape our company, propel our success and 
connect us with our communities. Their hard work, integrity and 
talent form the foundation that has enabled us to create long-term 
value through our investments and philanthropy for 45 years. 

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Individual Investor Relations

1-800-WP CAREY (1-800-972-2739) 
ir@wpcarey.com

Auditors

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Form 10-K

A copy of our Annual Report on  
Form 10-K as filed with the Securities and 
Exchange Commission may be obtained 
without charge at www.sec.gov by writing 
to our Executive Offices at the above 
address or by visiting our website  
at www.wpcarey.com.

Trading Information

Shares of W. P. Carey Inc. trade on the 
New York Stock Exchange under the  
ticker symbol WPC. 

Board of Directors

Benjamin H. Griswold, IV
Non-Executive Chairman of the Board & 
Chairman of the Executive Committee; 
Partner & Chairman of Brown Advisory, Inc.

Christopher J. Niehaus
Non-Executive Vice Chairman of the Board, 
Chairman of the Investment Committee 
& Chairman of the Nominating and 
Corporate Governance Committee; 
Partner, GreenOak Real Estate

Jason E. Fox
Chief Executive Officer

Mark A. Alexander
Chairman of the Audit Committee; 
Managing Member of Landmark Property 
Group, LLC

Peter J. Farrell
Chairman of the Compensation 
Committee; Partner, CityInterests, LLC

Robert J. Flanagan
President, Clark Enterprises 

Axel K.A. Hansing
Partner, Coller Capital, Ltd.

Jean Hoysradt
Former Chief Investment Officer  
of Mousse Partners Limited

Margaret G. Lewis
Chairman, Federal Reserve Bank  
of Richmond

Richard C. Marston, Ph.D.
James R. F. Guy Professor of Finance  
& Economics at the Wharton School  
of the University of Pennsylvania

Nick J.M. van Ommen
Former Chief Executive Officer, European 
Public Real Estate Association

Senior Management 

Jason E. Fox
Chief Executive Officer

John J. Park 
President

ToniAnn Sanzone
Managing Director & Chief  
Financial Officer

Brooks G. Gordon
Managing Director & Head of  
Asset Management

Susan C. Hyde
Managing Director, Chief Administrative 
Officer, Chief Ethics Officer  
& Corporate Secretary

Paul Marcotrigiano
Managing Director & General Counsel

Gino Sabatini
Managing Director & Head of Investments

Executive Offices

W. P. Carey Inc. 
50 Rockefeller Plaza 
New York, NY 10020 
1-212-492-1100 
1-800-WP CAREY (1-800-972-2739)

Transfer Agent

Computershare 
P.O. Box 505000 
Louisville, KY 40233-5000 
1-888-200-8690

Institutional Investor Relations

Peter Sands 
Director of Institutional  
Investor Relations  
1-212-492-1110  
institutionalir@wpcarey.com

“One of the things that excites  
me most about being CEO is the  
opportunity to work with our  
talented and dedicated employees.
Like Bill, I believe that in order to  
build a successful business, you  
have to build a successful team first. 
By investing in our employees and  
creating a positive work environment, 
we invest in our future and build on 
our long-term success.” —Jason E. Fox 

18 | W. P. Carey Inc.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
W. P. Carey Inc. 
50 Rockefeller Plaza  
New York, NY 10020  
1-800-WP CAREY  
www.wpcarey.com 
NYSE: WPC

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This report was printed on paper containing 10% postconsumer waste material.