Ling Yang China Editor MERGERMARKET

Ling Yang is China Editor for Mergermarket, a global news intelligence service for advisors, private equity firms and corporates. She heads a team of dedicated specialists across China to cover corporate growth strategies, M&A deals, PE buyouts, cross-border M&A intelligence, as well as data-backed analysis and trend pieces.

Ling has been an investigative M&A reporter for 12 years with a special focus on private equity coverage. She was the head of consumer and retail coverage for APAC with Mergermarket. She joined Mergermarket in Hong Kong in 2011 before moving to Shanghai in 2016.

Shaun Lim Co-President HOPU INVESTMENTS

Shaun is Co-President, Partner and member of the management committee of HOPU Investments, an Asia alternative asset manager with US$20billion AUM that specializes in creating proprietary investments driven by its unique network and strong fundamental analysis capabilities. Its industry focuses include consumer, technology, healthcare, financial services, and logistics/real estate. He is also concurrently Head of HOPU-ARM Innovation Fund, a private equity fund set up jointly by HOPU and Arm Technologies investing in deep technology opportunities.

Shaun has over 20 years’ experience in private equity and investment banking, having worked in London, New York, Amsterdam, Singapore and Hong Kong. He was previously Managing Director at Blackstone, Head of China Financial Institutions at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Vice President of ABN AMRO Private Equity. Mr. Lim also founded NBF Capital, a platform specializing in technology investments, as well as co-founded two technology start-ups with HK listed Pico Group in China where he also served as CEO.

Shaun has a Bachelor's degree in Economics (First Class Honours) from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Rafael Ratzel Managing Partner TH CAPITAL INTERNATIONAL

Rafael Ratzel has been an integral part of TH Capital (华控基金) in Beijing since 2016, spearheading the firm's international initiatives as the head of TH Capital International. His strategic leadership resulted in the successful establishment of the firm’s inaugural USD Fund in 2023, extending opportunities for international investors to access growth capital investments in Chinese high-tech sectors. The international team at TH Capital also supports portfolio companies in introducing innovative Chinese technologies to a global customer base. 

 Before his tenure at TH Capital, he held several operational roles at Siemens and Bosch in Europe and as a consultant with Roland Berger in Beijing. He further enhanced his cross-border investment expertise at CMIG Investments in Shanghai.

 Rafael holds dual degrees in Engineering (Industrial and Systems Engineering) and Business Administration (Management) from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He has also acquired MBA degrees from Tsinghua University in Beijing and the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). 

 His strategic insight and leadership are also recognized in his role as a board member of the German family office and industrial holding group AEQUITA.

Fan Yang Managing Director CDH INVESTMENTS

Fan focuses on investment opportunities in the technology and service sectors, as well as China and cross-border buyout opportunities. Prior to joining CDH in 2018, Fan was an Investment Director at Permira, a global private equity firm, covering technology and consumer sectors, and prior to that Fan was a VP at Unitas Capital, an Asia based buyout fund. Fan received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Fudan University.

Rashmi Kumar Editor MERGERMARKET

Rashmi Kumar is an experienced financial journalist with over 12 years of reporting, writing and editing experience. She spent a decade at media and publishing house Delinian, previously called Euromoney Institutional Investor, last as Asia Editor of GlobalCapital and Editor of Asiamoney until the end of 2022. Her expertise spans fundraising, capital markets, investment banking, private banking and wealth management, and sustainability.

Matthew Michelini Head of Asia-Pacific APOLLO GLOBAL MANAGEMENT

Matthew Michelini is Partner, Head of Asia-Pacific at Apollo and a member of the Firm’s Leadership Team. Matt joined Apollo in 2006 in Private Equity and has played a pivotal role in the creation and success of many of Apollo’s largest growth initiatives, including Athene, Hybrid Value, Apollo Dedicated Insurance Program, Natural Resources, and the development of the Financials Group. Matt serves as Investment Chair for Apollo’s Hybrid Value business and on the board of directors of Athene Holding Ltd. and Venerable Holdings, and previously served on the boards of Aleris Corporation, Metals USA, Noranda Aluminum, One Main Financial, and Warrior Met Coal. Previously, Matt was a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions group at Lazard Frères & Co.

Jannie Tsuei Partner TVM CAPITAL HEALTHCARE

Jannie is a Partner at TVM Capital Healthcare focused on the SEA Fund.  Prior to joining TVM, she led Southeast Asia healthcare investment banking at Morgan Stanley.  She also served as Chief Operating Officer of Southeast Asia investment banking at Morgan Stanley from 2018 to 2020. Jannie has been integrally involved in c. US$70Bn of strategic and capital transactions across North America, Asia-Pacific, and Europe.  Previously, Jannie worked at Sears Holdings Corporation in a general management rotational program.

Jannie holds an A.B. in literature (magna cum laude) from Harvard College and holds an MBA in Finance (cum laude) from The Wharton School, the University of Pennsylvania.

Desmond Lee Managing Director TPG NEWQUEST

Desmond is currently a Managing Director at TPG NewQuest, based in Singapore. Desmond joined NewQuest in 2015 and is responsible for sourcing, execution and portfolio management of the firm’s investments across Southeast Asia. Desmond has 20 years of private equity experience in the Asia region and prior he was Managing Director of Fosun, where he led the Southeast Asia investment team. 

Desmond’s private equity experience also includes prior roles with Morgan Stanley and Arctic Capital in Hong Kong, and CIMB Private Equity and Navis Capital Partners in Malaysia. Desmond started his career as a chartered accountant with Arthur Andersen in Malaysia. Desmond is a Fellow Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, and holds an undergraduate degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Sheffield, England.

Imran Jafar Managing Partner GAJA CAPITAL

Imran is a Managing Partner at Gaja Capital.

Gaja Capital is India’s leading mid-market growth capital investment firm with AUM of $750. Gaja Capital aim is to help create India’s next generation of market leaders in sectors such as Software, Education, Consumer, Financial Services and Healthcare.

Imran has 25 years of experience in Private Equity, Pharmaceuticals and Technology services. Prior to Gaja Capital, Imran worked in a variety of roles of increasing responsibility at Dr Reddy’s and Wipro Technologies.

At Gaja Capital, Imran leads investments in the Software, Education and Consumer clusters. He has been closely involved with Gaja Capital’s investments in Amber (Student accommodation marketplace), Signzy ( SaaS platform for BFSI), Leadsquared ( Sales automation SaaS platform), Education initiatives (B2B Ed-tech), Kangaroo Kids (Pre-K and K12), KOOH Sports (Performance sports), Sportzvillage (youth sports), Eurokids ( Pre-K & K-12), John Distilleries (AlcoBev), CL Educate (Supplemental education), and Indus World Schools (K12).

Imran has postgraduate degrees in software engineering from BITS-Pilani an MBA from IIM-Bangalore.

Wei Jian Tor Managing Director EQT

Wei Jian Tor joined EQT Partners in June 2018.

Prior to joining EQT Partners, Wei Jian was with The Abraaj Group in Singapore focusing on private equity investments in Southeast Asia across various sectors. Before his career in private equity, he worked at the Investment Banking division of Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Singapore.

Wei Jian holds a double degree in Bachelor of Accountancy and Bachelor of Business Management (Summa Cum Laude) from the Singapore Management University.

Nicolo Magni Managing Director, Head of Southeast Asia & South Asia UBS

Nicolo Magni is Head of Global Banking South East Asia & India for UBS. Prior to that Nicolo was Co-Head of the Strategic Equity Solutions Group ("SESG") for UBS in APAC as well as Head of Private Financing Markets ("PFM") for APAC. Nicolo is now based in Singapore from March 2020; he joined UBS in Hong Kong in 2011. Prior to that, Nicolo was at Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan in London. Nicolo holds a Master degree from ESCP-EAP, Paris.

Xander Huang Head of Sales, ASEAN APEX

Xander is the Head of Sales for the ASEAN region at Apex Group, a global financial services firm providing an extensive range of solutions across the full value chain to institutional asset managers, capital markets, corporates and family offices. He is an avid Top Gun fan who happens to be an experienced business development professional with over 10 years of experience in the financial services industry. In his current role, his is responsible for sales growth and client coverage across ASEAN.

SJ Lim Managing Director, Asia Credit KKR

SJ Lim joined KKR in 2019 and is a Managing Director and Head of Southeast Asia and India Credit. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Lim spent 13 years at Credit Suisse where he was responsible for the private financing business in Southeast Asia, India and Australia, which spanned corporate loans, leveraged finance, structure credit and share financing for corporates and ultra high net worth counterparties. Mr. Lim holds an M.B.A. from Stanford University and a first class honors in Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics.

Justin Ferrier Managing Partner-Navis Private Credit NAVIS

Mr. Ferrier is a Managing Partner of Navis Private Credit. Mr. Ferrier has more than 30 years of experience, which includes more than 20 years as a credit investor, portfolio manager and business leader.

Previously he was a Managing Director at BlackRock where he played a pivotal role in building BlackRock’s Asian-Pacific Private Credit business, growing AUM to $700m and developing a successful regional strategy focusing on Southeast Asia and Australia.

Prior to BlackRock, he was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Myo Capital. The fund delivered 14% gross returns. Prior to Myo Capital he was a Director / Investment Committee Member with ADM Capital and a Corporate Finance Executive with Peregrine Capital and SG Warburg Group.

Mr. Ferrier holds an MBA, majoring in Finance and Accounting from Monash University and a Bachelor in Science from the University of South Australia.

Sandeep Chandak Managing Director ELHAM CREDIT PARTNERS

Sandeep has over 18 years of experience in Asia Pacific credit markets including Australia, India, Southeast Asia, Korea, and Japan. 

Prior to Elham, he was Senior Managing Director at Varde Partners’ Asia Corporate and Traded Credit team and was responsible for the significant growth of the Asian book. At Varde, Sandeep led the firm’s investments across various strategies including special situations, private credit, restructuring and secondary trading as well as led strategic initiatives for the firm. 

Prior to Varde, Sandeep worked for over a decade at Deutsche Bank Hong Kong and Mumbai as a lead trader in Distressed and Illiquids, covering Asia Pacific stressed loans and bonds and performing loans. Sandeep holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from University of Delhi and is a Chartered Accountant.

Kanchan Jain CEO BPEA CREDIT

Ms. Kanchan Jain has 30 years of experience in corporate and structured finance, private credit, and loan and debt capital markets across Europe and Asia. She has worked in origination, structuring, underwriting, and risk management. As founder and head of BPEA Credit Group, Ms. Jain is responsible for the overall business across all its investment & non-investment functions. Over the last 11 years, Ms. Jain and the leadership team at BPEA Credit have led the creation and build-out of BPEA Credit into one of Asia's leading private credit management groups, focused on structured debt investments in the mid and large corporate sectors. 

Before moving to India in 2008, Ms. Jain worked for 10 years in London as Managing Director, Co-Head of Structuring at HSBC, and before that as Director at Barclays Capital in the Structured Credit business. Before that, Ms. Jain worked in the Asian debt capital markets across debt syndication, loan trading & risk, based out of Hong Kong and in project finance based out of India. Ms. Jain has lived and worked in India, Asia & the UK and holds a Bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering from VNIT and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata.

Raymond Chan Head of Asia Credit CPPIB

Raymond joined CPPIB in October 2019 and leads our Asia credit business.  He is the chair of the APAC Credit Committee and a member of our Global Credit Committee.  He is also the co-chair of the Credit Committee of The HKVCA. Prior to joining CPP Investments, he was a managing director at SSG Capital, responsible for special situations investments and secured lending in Greater China.

Previously, Raymond was the head of Greater China at Intermediate Capital Group, senior fund manager at RAB Capital and head of Asia Asset Management at D.B. Zwirn.  He started his career with HSBC, departing as a team head of the Real Estate Sector.

Raymond holds a BSSc in Economics from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and an MBA from the EMBA program of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Saima Rehman Investment Officer, Private Equity Funds, East Asia Pacific IFC

Saima Rehman is responsible for leading investments in private equity and venture capital funds, and managing portfolio in the East Asia Pacific region. Before joining the Funds group, her experience covered principal investments, syndications and structured finance covering South Asia with IFC and prior to that with IDLC Bangladesh. She has an MBA from INSEAD.

Sean Low CEO GOLDEN VISION CAPITAL

Golden Vision Capital (Singapore) is a new Single Family Office set up in Aug 2021 to make PE and VC direct investments in Southeast Asia, leveraging on the family and team’s strong business connections in the region. It also invests in leading PE Funds, and co-invests alongside them. Its CEO Sean Low, CFA is an industry veteran with 25 years of deal sourcing, investment and business development experience, including 17 years in the PE & Infrastructure department of GIC, Singapore's SWF, where he helps to oversee GIC's PE, Infra, Private Debt & VC investments in US, Europe and Asia at different times, and took part in some of GIC’s landmark deals in each region. He played a leading role in expanding GIC’s private debt program, and last served as an active member in GIC Credit Business group which help review GIC’s overall credit investment strategy across public and private markets. Sean was also senior advisor to Yangzijiang Financial Holdings Limited (ww.YZJFIN.com), an investment management Firm listed on SGX with NAV in excess S$4b. He advised its Investment Committee on PE and Private Credit portfolio construction, funds and deals selection and risk management.

Sean began his career in Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), after he was awarded the EDB Scholarship in 1993. He served first as Assistant Head of InfoComms & Media group, and then as Director of Chicago Centre. Sean currently chairs the Investment Committee at CFA Singapore, and was elected the Treasurer of Singapore's VC & PE Association in 2021. He graduated from Trinity College, University of Cambridge with BA (1st Class Honours), MA and M Eng. (Honours). He completed National Service in Singapore as a commander of a Brigade Reconnaissance Team in the Singapore Army.

En Yaw Chue Chief Investment Officer AZALEA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT

Mr CHUE En Yaw is the Chief Investment Officer at Azalea Investment Management Pte. Ltd. and leads the investment team. He is a key member of the team that successfully launched the Astrea transactions and Altrium programmme. Mr Chue joined the Azalea Group in 2018 and was deeply involved in the Astrea Platform since 2014.

Mr Chue joined Temasek in 2010 and was a senior member of the Private Equity Fund Investments team covering fund relationships in Asia as well as global secondaries. At Temasek, Mr Chue played a key role in the launch of the Astrea II transaction in 2014. Prior to joining Temasek, he was with Standard Chartered Private Equity and JAFCO (Asia) Investment for almost 10 years. He started his career as an auditor with Arthur Andersen LLP in 1997. Mr Chue is a Chartered Accountant and a CFA charterholder.

Ruoyu Han Director, Investment Advisory Department JAPAN POST INVESTMENT CORPORATION

Ruoyu is a Director of Asia Investments for Japan Post Investment’s private equity fund investment advisory program. Before being assigned to Japan Post Investment, he was involved in the Asia private equity investment program in Japan Post Bank. Prior to joining Japan Post Bank in February 2022, he contributed to private equity fund investment, private debt fund investment, structured finance, and corporate finance at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, in both Tokyo and New York offices. He holds a M.A. in Economics and a B.A. in Liberal Arts, from Waseda University in Japan.