Kirk M. Beaton Partner LEXINGTON PARTNERS

Mr. Beaton is a Partner of Lexington Partners where he leads the firm’s Asian activities. Mr. Beaton is engaged in the origination and evaluation of secondary purchases of non-U.S. private equity and alternative investments, as well as the firm’s fundraising efforts in the region. Mr. Beaton joined Lexington in 2003 as an investment professional in London and moved to Hong Kong in 2011 to open the Lexington office. Mr. Beaton was previously an analyst in investment banking at Morgan Stanley. Mr. Beaton graduated from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow with an LLB (Honors) and Universität Hamburg and Universidad Complutense de Madrid with a European masters in economics and law.

Xiang-Dong Yang Managing Director and Chairman Carlyle Asia CARLYLE

Xiang-Dong (X.D.) Yang is a Managing Director and Chairman of Carlyle Asia, leading all Corporate Private Equity investments in Asia (ex-Japan). Carlyle has been investing in Asia for over two decades and is one of the largest private equity investors in Asia. As of June 30, 2022, Carlyle Asia (ex-Japan) has invested US$17 billion in over 95 deals in corporate private equity.

Mr. Yang joined Carlyle in 2001 as a Co-Head of the Asia Buyout advisory team and is based in Carlyle Asia’s regional headquarters in Hong Kong. Prior to joining Carlyle, Mr. Yang spent nine years at Goldman Sachs, where he was a Managing Director and Co-Head of Private Equity Investment Asia (ex-Japan).

Mr. Yang serves on the boards of Grand Foods Holdings Limited (McDonald’s China) and Du Xiaoman Financial. He is also a member of the Global Advisory Council of Harvard University and a trustee of the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington D.C. A native of China, Mr. Yang received his B.A. in Economics from Harvard University and MBA from Harvard Business School.

Heath Zarin Founder, Chair & CEO EMERGEVEST

Heath Zarin is the Founder, Chair and CEO of EmergeVest, a global investment firm that seeks to build great businesses, provide innovative capital solutions and generate sustainable value for all stakeholders.  Mr. Zarin is also the Founder, Chair and CEO of EV Cargo, an EmergeVest company with more than $1.5 billion of annual revenues and global operations.

Mr. Zarin began his career as a corporate lawyer with Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP in New York, where he formed and advised hedge funds and private equity funds.  In 2000, he joined DLJ Merchant Banking, which was subsequently acquired by Credit Suisse.  At DLJ / Credit Suisse, which had more than $100 billion in assets under management during his tenure, Mr. Zarin had broad experience across LBOs, mezzanine, growth capital and other investment strategies.  Mr. Zarin relocated to Hong Kong in 2006 to form Credit Suisse’s Asian private equity business, where growth equity investments spanned China, India and Southeast Asia, and included several successful IPOs.  In 2008, Mr. Zarin left Credit Suisse to form Emergent Investment Group, a Hong Kong-based private investment firm, where he completed private equity investments and advised on special situations.  In 2010, Mr. Zarin joined HSBC in Hong Kong as a Managing Director and Head of Principal Investments, Asia-Pacific, with responsibility for all Asian proprietary private investment activities.  In 2013, Mr. Zarin formed EmergeVest, with a vision of building a new style of global investment firm.

Mr. Zarin’s current and previous board service includes companies across Asia, Europe and North America, in diverse manufacturing and service industries. 

Mr. Zarin received his JD from the Fordham University School of Law in 1998 and his BA from the State University of New York at Binghamton in 1995.  He has been admitted to practice law in the State of New York.  Mr. Zarin is also a CFA, CMT and CAIA charterholder, and has completed Certificate programs from Harvard Business School (Investment Management, Strategy).  Mr. Zarin has served as an Executive Committee Member of CAIA Hong Kong, as well as on the board of several non-profit organizations.

EmergeVest, through its Hong Kong-based subsidiary, is a licensed asset manager, regulated by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (HK SFC).  Mr. Zarin is also licensed and regulated by the HK SFC as a responsible officer of EmergeVest.  Certain EmergeVest investment funds are regulated by the United States Securities Exchange Commission and other regulatory authorities.

Shannon Wolfers Managing Director - Buyout and Secure Assets PACIFIC EQUITY PARTNERS

Shannon joined Pacific Equity Partners in 2006. Prior to joining PEP, Shannon was with Bain & Company in Australia and SE Asia. 

Shannon was a University of Sydney Scholarship holder where he received a first class honours degree (BEcon) and the University Medal.

Mark Chiba Group Chairman & Partner THE LONGREACH GROUP

Mark Chiba is Group Chairman and Partner of The Longreach Group. The Longreach Group is an established independent private equity firm with offices in Hong Kong and Tokyo. The firm focuses on Japan and related Greater China control buyouts in the mature industrial and technology, consumer, business services and financial services sectors. The firm manages three Funds which have accumulated approximately US$2.1 billion of committed limited partner and co-investment capital.

Mark co-founded The Longreach Group in late 2003. Mark's lead responsibilities at Longreach include firm management, senior relationship driven deal sourcing and execution, investments in the financial services sector, and building the firm's capital base and global networks.

Before co-founding Longreach, Mark served as Chief Executive Officer and President of UBS Securities Japan, Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Investment Banking Management Committee, Head of Japan Investment Banking and as a member of the UBS Global Investment Bank Board. Previous to this role in Japan, Mark headed the UBS Asia-Pacific Financial Institutions Group.

Mark is an Australian citizen, resident in Hong Kong. He holds First Class Honours degrees in Economics (University of Melbourne) and Law (University of Sydney). Mark is a Rhodes Scholar with a Master of Philosophy degree in International Relations (with Distinction) from Oxford University.

Ganen Sarvananthan Asia Managing Partner, Co-Head of Asia & Head of the Middle East TPG

Ganen Sarvananthan is Managing Partner, Co-Head of Asia, Head of the Middle East, Co-Managing Partner of TPG Capital Asia, Co-Head of Southeast Asia and a member of the TPG Inc Board and Executive Committee. Prior to joining TPG in 2014, Ganen served as Head of Investments at Khazanah Nasional Berhad, the Government of Malaysia’s strategic investment fund, for almost a decade. He also worked at UBS Investment Bank based in London, Hong Kong and Singapore for more than seven years. He is a Barrister-at-Law (England and Wales) and read Law at University College London.