Linh Thai
CEO
VINGROUP VENTURES
Linh Thai is currently CEO of Vingroup Ventures - the venture capital arm of Vingroup, the largest conglomerate in Vietnam. Vingroup Ventures is a USD100 million fund focused on growth stage technology start ups. The fund has a global mandate with interest in technologies that have the potential for broad influence, such as AI, Big Data, FinTech and IoT. Portfolio companies benefit from the extensive Vingroup ecosystem if they choose to expand into Vietnam, a country with a population of 100 million people, 50% under 30 and high literacy.
Prior to joining Vingroup, Ms. Thai was Director, Head of Strategy and Operations at VinaCapital. In this role, she oversaw operational functions such as process automation, organizational structure initiatives and corporate strategic planning.
Ms. Thai is one of the main “sharks” in the Vietnamese version of Shark Tank, a critically acclaimed and multi-Emmy Award-winning reality show that has reinvigorated entrepreneurship in Vietnam.
In addition, Ms. Thai is the founder and CEO of Rita Phil, a fashion-tech company that combines classic custom tailoring techniques with modern data-driven algorithms to create skirts that fit and enhance each woman’s unique body shape.
Prior to her role at VinaCapital, Ms. Thai was a Director of Investments at DFJ VinaCapital, one of Vietnam’s first venture capital funds. Her investment focus was in early and growth stage companies in the Internet, media, mobile and technology manufacturing sectors.
Before coming to Vietnam, Ms. Thai was an Investment Banking Associate at Banc of America Securities in the NYC office where she worked on equity, debt and M&A deals. Ms. Thai has held marketing and operational roles at internet start ups, both as a founder and as an early employee. As one of The .tv Corporation’s first 20 employees, Ms. Thai spent four years creating and executing the digital marketing strategy, including the affiliate program, SEM and email marketing initiatives.
Ms. Thai graduated with honors from the University of Southern California and holds an MBA from The Wharton School. Ms. Thai grew up in Los Angeles, CA and has called Ho Chi Minh City home for the past 10 years.
Nguyen Duc Tai
Executive Chairman of the Board
MOBILE WORLD INVESTMENT CORPORATION (MWG)
Mr. Nguyen Duc Tai, born in 1969, earned his MBA Degree from the Centre Franco-Vietnamien de formation à la Gestion – CFVG (The French – Vietnamese Center for Management Education) and his BA degree in Finance and Accounting from the University of Economics in Ho Chi Minh City. Mr. Tai used to be the Head of Strategy Development for S-Phone - the mobile telecommunications and commercial CDMA mobile phone services of S-Telecom in Vietnam. In 2004, he established Mobile World JSC - the mobile phones retailing company together with 4 co-founders.
He held various key positions in different functions of the Company including Finance and Accounting, Marketing and Sales, Logistics and Store Network Development. In 2014, Mr. Tai was elected as the CEO cum Chairman of Mobile World Investment Corporation (MWG) - the listed holding company that owns Mobile World JSC. Since 2018, he has been appointed as the Executive Chairman of MWG - the No.1 Retailer in Vietnam in terms of revenue, net profit and store count. MWG has 1,800+ stores selling phones and consumer electronics nationwide, 500+ stores selling grocery retailer in Southern provinces of Vietnam and 10 Bigphone stores selling phones in Cambodia.
Nguyen Cong Ai
Partner
KPMG
Dr. Nguyen Cong Ai has been working for KPMG since 1998, in Slovakia and Vietnam of which he has been involved in providing market entry advisory services to many international companies seeking investment opportunities in Vietnam. Being in contact with Government Agencies, the State Bank of Vietnam, local banks and business communities throughout Vietnam for years, Dr. Ai has extensive business and government network.
Dr. Ai’s expertise lies in market entry research, commercial due diligence, strategy formulation, market feasibility study, strategic business location analysis, acquisition target identification and analysis and assistance with investment licensing and post-licensing compliance.
Dr. Ai is currently leading the Strategy Group and Partner – Ho Chi Minh Office, Advisory Services.
JinA Bae
Head of Corporate Venture
HANWHA ASSET MANAGEMENT
JinA Bae is the Head of Corporate Venture at Hanwha Asset Management. Hanwha Group is one of the largest conglomerates in Korea and a GLOBAL FORTUNE 250 Company with 61 subsidiaries across 3 main pillars of businesses: Manufacturing, Finance (AUM of US$140Bn), and Services. Ms. Bae leads global venture investments for the Group and invests in global fintech, deep tech, in particular artificial intelligence and blockchain, and consumer enablement platforms that have profound implications for traditional industries. Additionally, she focuses on launching new funds and forming investment consortiums with strategic partners, capturing value on investment opportunities, and creating connectivity among the various players in the innovation ecosystem. Ms. Bae began her career as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company in San Francisco and London where she specialized in developing growth and marketing strategy for global tech and consumer goods companies. Prior to joining Hanwha, she was the founder & CEO of CHOPCHOP, a London-based food tech startup. Ms. Bae holds a B.A. (magna cum laude, Distinction in the Major) in Ethics, Politics & Economics from Yale University. She is a Kauffman Fellow (Class 23) and a World Economic Forum Global Shaper.
Carlos Camacho
Head of Investments Development
FUNDNEL
Carlos Camacho is the Head of Investments Development at Fundnel — Southeast Asia's Largest Private Investment platform. The fintech company leverages data and technology to curate opportunities in growth and pre-IPO companies its global network of investors.
In his role, Mr. Camacho is responsible for leading initiatives to grow the investor base and drive deal origination and syndication efforts across the Asia Pacific region, including the six countries that Fundnel operates in: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, India and Australia. He played an instrumental role in doubling Fundnel’s network in 2018; within a year since he joined the company.
A career across the investment as well as banking sectors has provided Mr. Camacho with a wealth of experience and insights into unique nuances of the Asian financial landscape. Prior to joining Fundnel, Carlos held positions at Threadneedle Investments, overseeing markets in Southeast Asia.
Mr. Camacho holds a Master in Business Administration degree with a concentration in finance from Columbia Business School, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Beyond his professional capacity, Mr. Camacho is an avid traveller and is a skilled practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Shane Chesson
Partner
OPENSPACE VENTURES
Shane Chesson is Founder and Partner of Openspace Ventures (formerly NSI Ventures), a Singapore-headquartered VC focused on Series A and B investments in Southeast Asia-based technology companies. Selected Openspace investments overseen by Mr. Chesson include Go-Jek, Chope, Tradegecko, CXA, Topica, Oway, HaloDoc, Sale Stock and Pathao. Mr. Chesson was previously Managing Director and Co-Head (Technology Investment Banking, of Citigroup Asia-Pacific.
Mr. Chesson has an MBA with distinction from INSEAD Singapore where he was a recipient of the IAA Asian Campus scholarship.
Ryan Collins
Managing Director
MASSMUTUAL VENTURES
Ryan Collins is a Managing Director at MassMutual Ventures (MMV), a global venture capital firm investing in early to growth stage technology companies across North America, Europe, Israel and Southeast Asia.
Prior to joining MMV, Mr. Collins was Head of Asia at LOFT, prototyping applications of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology in health and financial services. Before LOFT, Mr. Collins was Asia Managing Director at Essentia Analytics, a data analytics SaaS company that helps professional investors to mitigate behavioral bias, optimize investment processes and continuously improve performance.
Formerly an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs based in Tokyo and Hong Kong, Mr. Collins has advised on and executed multiple capital markets transactions across the Asia-Pacific region. Mr. Collins holds a BSc in Computer Science and an MSc in Psychology with research in cognitive neuroscience and behavioral economics.
Marc Djandji
Head of Institutional Sales
RONG VIET SECURITIES
Currently Head of Sales at Rong Viet Securities, Marc Djandji has nearly 16 years of experience working Vietnam’s capital markets.
He was the very first foreign Head of Research in Vietnam. Throughout his career, he has headed research departments at Saigon Securities, Horizon Securities, and Viet Capital Securities.
He has been widely recognized as a thought leader on Vietnam’s capital markets and has been cited in the WSJ, Bloomberg Businessweek, Asia Money, and Finance Asia.
He is Vice President of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (CanCham) promoting cross-border trade and investments between the two countries.
And in his free time he mentors local startups in his role as an Entrepreneur in Residence at The Vietnam Innovative Startup Accelerator (VIISA).
Finally, he’s a craft beer enthusiast and a shareholder in Pasteur Street Brewing Co..
David Gowdey
Managing Partner
JUNGLE VENTURES
David Gowdey is currently a Managing Partner at Jungle Ventures, a Singapore based venture capital firm focused on internet and technology investments in South Asia. Prior to Jungle, Mr. Gowdey spent 3.5 years at TPG Capital where he led internet investments outside of the US within the TPG Growth fund. Prior to TPG, Mr. Gowdey spent 12 years at Yahoo! Inc where he was the Head of International M&A on the Corporate Development team. In this role, he was responsible for driving all transaction activity and the investment strategy for Yahoo! outside of North America, including their expansion in to new markets, such as Russia, Turkey, Middle East, Africa and SE Asia. In 2011, Mr. Gowdey was also the Managing Partner at Xplorer Capital, a growth equity venture capital firm which spun out from Yahoo! to focus on internet and digital media opportunities in the emerging markets.
Mr. Gowdey continues to be an Advisor to TPG Capital and represents them as a non-executive director on the board of Propertyguru, the largest online real estate platform in SE Asia.
Mr. Gowdey holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Radford University and a Master’s Degree from the Macquarie Graduate School of Management in Sydney. He has lived and worked for over 20 years across Asia, but currently lives in Singapore with his wife and three children.
Le Le Hang
CEO
SSI ASSET MANAGEMENT
Le Le Hang directs one of the most active Asset Management Companies in the industry in almost all verticals. She has been awarded CEO of the year 2012-2016. Le Le is member of the development advisory committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange and Vice Chairman of Asset Management Companies Club. She is a member of the board of directors in several SSIAM invested companies and investment funds.
Kaspar Hidayat
Principal
KORU PARTNERS
Kaspar is a Principal at Koru Partners where he invests in early stage startups across Southeast Asia. Prior to Koru Partners, he was part of the teams at 500 Startups and Venturra Capital that made Seed and Series A investments in many of Southeast Asia's leading companies, including Grab, Bukalapak, Zilingo, Carro, Shopback and Carousell. Kaspar has also spent time as an operator as Country Manager and VP of Marketing at Pomelo, Southeast Asia's leading digitally native vertical fashion and apparel brand. Kaspar received his BA in Philosophy and Economics from Amherst College.
Nguyen Dang Hieu
Investment Director
NAVIS CAPITAL PARTNERS
Nguyen Dang Hieu is an investment director with Navis Capital. Previously he was with Masan Group. He is board director with several portfolio companies including: OPV Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company; GODACO SEAFOOD JSC and L' Hopital Francais De Hanoi.
Andy Ho
Chief Investment Officer
VINACAPITAL
Andy Ho serves as Chief Investment Officer of VinaCapital Group, and Managing Director of the VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund (VOF), which is traded on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. Since joining VinaCapital in 2007, Andy has helped VOF's net asset value surpass the US$1 billion mark, deployed over US$1 billion on privately negotiated deals and led over US$700 million in exits via strategic trade sales. In 2016, VOF was the top performing Vietnam-focused fund, gaining 25.5%. Andy is a leading authority on investing in developing markets, privatizations, and private equity deals in Vietnam, regularly speaking at events around the region and appearing in the media.
Prior to joining VinaCapital, Andy was director of investment at Prudential Vietnam, where he looked after the company's capital market portfolio and developed its bank investment strategy, which provided a return of four times over an 18-month period. He also served as manager of Prudential's mutual fund, PruBF1. Andy also held various management positions at Dell Ventures (the investment group of Dell Computer Corp.) and Ernst & Young.
Andy earned a BS in Finance and Accounting from the University of Colorado Boulder, and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the US.
Melissa Kang
Founder and Managing Partner
JUPITER IMPACT PARTNERS
Melissa Kang has over 20 years of private equity investment experience in Asia. She is the Founder and Managing Partner of Jupiter Impact Partners, an investment firm founded by a team of seasoned private equity investment professionals that focuses on sustainable and high impact investments in Southeast Asia. Ms. Kang is also the Founder of Jasmine Sustainability Research Institute, a social enterprise that focuses on specialized market research in ESG and high impact investment opportunities in Asia. Previously, Ms. Kang was a Portfolio Manager and the dedicated ESG Officer of Integro, the global impact fund at Morgan Stanley.
Prior to Morgan Stanley, Ms. Kang worked at IFC, the private sector arm of World Bank Group, where she was a Principal Investment Officer and Regional Lead for East Asia Pacific, responsible for private equity fund investments, based in Indonesia. In that role, she was responsible for new business that covered 15 countries and oversaw $1 billion of portfolio investments, and sat on several advisory boards. In addition, Ms. Kang was also the Global Lead for gender investment for funds at IFC.
Before embarking on impact investing, Ms. Kang was the CEO for a private equity fund of funds business in Asia, a joint venture between ING Investment Management and Pomona Capital, based in Hong Kong. Before that, Ms. Kang had held senior positions at 3i and DBS Bank, responsible for direct investments in Asia. Prior to her private equity career, Ms. Kang spent 8 years in equity investment research and SME finance.
Ms. Kang graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, major in Economics and Political Science. She subsequently earned a Master degree in Applied Finance from the University of Adelaide, Australia. Ms. Kang was a participant at the YMP 2000 program at Insead. Ms. Kang is a frequent speaker at private equity conferences in Asia focusing on ESG, sustainability and impact investing.
Joseph Khoo
Vice President, Direct Investments
PARTNERS GROUP (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
Joseph is a Vice President in the Direct Investments team within Partners Group, focusing on the origination and execution of investment opportunities within Southeast Asia. He has more than 10 years of investment and corporate finance experience focusing on leveraged buyout transactions across Asia-Pacific.
Neal Kok
Principal
KKR
Neal Kok, based in Singapore, joined KKR in 2014 as part of the private equity team. Previously, Mr. Kok worked at Australian advisory firm Treadstone Partners, and prior to that in the investment banking division of Goldman Sachs (Sydney). He holds Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and Bachelor of Commerce (finance and accounting) degrees from the University of Notre Dame Australia.
Thomas Lanyi
Managing Director
CDH INVESTMENTS
Dr. Thomas Lanyi is a Managing Director at CDH Investments. Established in 2001, CDH is a leading alternative assets fund management company, managing close to US$20billion in assets for a global pool of institutional clients. The firm specializes in China-based or linked investment transactions in the consumer and healthcare sectors. Based in Singapore, Dr. Lanyi leads CDH’s Southeast Asian and global ‘Cross-border’ investment activities.
Dr. Lanyi is a senior Private Equity investment professional with 18 years of relevant experience and a strong record of achievement in the Asian emerging markets, especially China and Southeast Asia. Prior to joining CDH, Dr. Lanyi held senior roles at Mekong Capital in Vietnam and Templeton Private Equity in Singapore.
Dr. Lanyi has been an Executive Committee Member of the Singapore Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (SVCA) since 2015, and been its Chairman since 2017.
Henry Lee
Founder
HENDALE ASIA
Henry Lee has close to 30 years’ experience as an investor, fund manager, corporate financier, and fund allocator in global and Asian markets. His extensive experience encompasses private and public investments, hedge funds, private equity and venture funds, managing asset management companies and family office operations.
In 1996, Mr. Lee founded Hendale Asia, one of the first Asian-based multi-strategy alternative funds, after being a Principal at the Bass family office in Texas for 6 years. Hendale now specializes in direct private investments in globally. More recently, Mr. Lee was the CIO of Nan Fung – a large private real estate and investment conglomerate, where he managed a large diversified investment portfolio in excess of several billion USD. Prior to that, between 2003 and 2008, he managed large portfolios for the Asia operation of Sandell, a large global hedge fund and was an Executive Director of UBS Global Asset Management responsible for hedge fund allocations globally based in Hong Kong. He started his career as an investment banker at CS First Boston in New York and London in 1987.
His community work and directorships include being an Independent Non-Executive Director of the Bank of Xian, the leading local bank in Xian city, and a 2nd term member of the Xian China Peoples’ Political Consultative Committee (CPPCC). He is active in community and alumni affairs and holds various directorships and posts in organizations such as the HK Cancer Fund and the Mongolian Chamber and Mongolia Club (HK).
He is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese and English. Born and raised in Asia, America and Africa, Mr. Lee is a citizen of Hong Kong and Switzerland.
Serge L. Lépine
Managing Partner
CABOT CAPITAL PARTNERS
Serge L. Lépine is originally from Montréal, Québec and has primarily been assuming regional and global investments responsibilities out of Canada, Asia and the Middle East.
Mr. Lépine established Cabot Capital Partners (CCP), a Singapore Regulated Fund Management Company to provide delegated investment management services to institutional investors and family offices seeking to develop exposure to Asia or manage and grow existing portfolios. CCP is also developing niche PE and credit yielding strategies for Asia and North America respectively.
Previously, Mr. Lépine was the CEO of the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Investment Company (QADIC), a US $2 billion global investment platform that he led since its inception in 2013 with the support of SWFs from Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Before relocating to Qatar to establish QADIC, Mr. Lépine was the Chief Investment Officer at a Bahrain SWF and prior to that worked successively at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and the Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC) to set up the co-investment and direct investment business units respectively.
Before moving to the Gulf region in 2004, Mr. Lépine had been based in Asia since 1996 establishing the initial private equity operations of the Caisse de Dépot et Placement du Québec (CDPQ).
During his early career, Mr. Lépine worked in Montréal for CDPQ as well as other leading Canadian financial institutions, primarily in the areas of direct investments, mergers and acquisitions advisory and corporate finance.
Stanley Nguyen
Senior Vice President
CENTRAL GROUP
Stanley is the Head of Business Development of Central Group Vietnam and responsible for property acquisition as well as business development for Central Group in Vietnam. He closed more than US$1.5Bn investments via M&A with Central Group Vietnam, amongst others are BigC Hypermarket, Lanchi Mart, Zalora and more than US$100Mn investments in properties and land bank. Before Central Group, he was with a US$250Mn Private Equity fund based in Vietnam.
Central Group Vietnam is investing and operating a nationwide multi-format retail chain in Vietnam such as hypermakets, supermarkers, consumer electronics, fashion brands and shopping malls.
Steven R. Okun
CEO, APAC Advisors & ASEAN Representative
EMPEA
The Founder and CEO of APAC Advisors, Steven Okun is a leader in the private equity industry on ESG, sustainability and stakeholder engagement in Asia Pacific, having lived and worked in the region since 2003.
In September 2017, EMPEA appointed Mr. Okun as its ASEAN Representative, where he works with the members to increase private capital deployment and fundraising across Southeast Asia. In addition, he serves as a member of EMPEA’s global ESG and SDG Community.
EMPEA is the global industry association for private capital in emerging markets. An independent, non-profit organization, the association’s membership comprises 300+ firms representing institutional investors, fund managers and industry advisors who together manage more than US$5 trillion in assets across 130 countries.
As global investment firm KKR’s first Director of Asia Public Affairs from 2011-2017, his responsibilities encompassed government affairs, communications, stakeholder engagement, ESG and impact investing and supporting such efforts for its portfolio companies.
His work on ESG initiatives spans due diligence through the investment phase. His expertise includes developing ESG policies, determining critical considerations for specific deals taking into consideration market, sector and level of investment, engaging directly in due diligence, and working with investment teams to document the findings of due diligence and develop reports for a fund’s investors.
Previously, Mr. Okun led UPS Asia’s public affairs practice, and served in the Clinton Administration as Deputy General Counsel at the US Department of Transportation.
Often representing and advocating the views of the business community, Mr. Okun often guest hosts on CNBC and frequently appears on the BBC and Channel NewsAsia.
He received his B.A. from the University of Virginia and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.
Jeff Olson
Managing Partner – Vietnam
HOGAN LOVELLS
As a partner in the Corporate practice and Managing Partner of the Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi offices, Jeff Olson has nearly 15 years' experience helping private equity firms, venture capital investors, and corporations of all shapes and sizes complete complex multi-jurisdictional M&A and joint venture transactions in Asia and the U.S.
Representing clients in industries as diverse as agriculture, real estate, food and beverage, healthcare, oil and gas, tobacco, and media, Jeff combines mature market experience with emerging market know-how to guide his clients through a rapidly evolving legal and regulatory landscape.
Vietnam and ASEAN are changing by the day, presenting both opportunities and obstacles for clients. Having practiced in New York, Tokyo, and currently Vietnam, Jeff knows what it takes to execute deals in challenging markets.
Sherri Ortiz-Fahie
Director
BVI HOUSE ASIA
Sherri Ortiz-Fahie is the Director of the Hong Kong-based BVI House Asia, the representative office of the Government of the British Virgin Islands in the Asia Pacific Region.
She formerly held the position of Executive Director of the BVI International Finance Centre and was the Government representative for the promotion and further development of the BVI’s financial services industry. In this capacity, she has been a spokesperson with local, regional and international media; a speaker at recognized international conferences and events, and the liaison between the BVI and international governments for the negotiation of Tax Information Exchange Agreements.
She has also served as a Consultant with the Turks and Caicos Government and is approved as a ‘fit and proper’ person by the BVI Financial Services Commission.
She has more than 25 years of finance and business experience with expertise in financial management, and has also managed and coordinated intervention and international response to preserve and enhance the reputation and integrity of the BVI as an International Financial Services Centre. She is well traveled and known to major international industry participants in the financial markets of Shanghai, Hong Kong, Dubai, India, Switzerland, London, and the United States.
She is the former Vice President of a prominent US Virgin Islands Federal Saving Bank; and Deputy Financial Secretary for the BVI Government’s Ministry of Finance, where she introduced and supervised operational reforms within the BVI Inland Revenue and Customs Departments and served as the Chairman of the former British Virgin Islands Development Bank.
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Financial Management, has a background in legal studies within the UK and holds a Diploma of Compliance. She is a Professional Member of the UK International Compliance Association.
Chad Ovel
Partner
MEKONG CAPITAL
Chad Ovel has over 20 years’ experience leading value growth in Vietnam. Before joining Mekong Capital, he had a successful track record as a CEO leading the rapid growth of both a foreign-owned export manufacturing business and a local company operating in the sectors of construction, retail and manufacturing. Since joining Mekong Capital in 2013, he has led Mekong Capital’s successful investments in restaurant operator Golden Gate, which generated a 9.1x return upon exit, and in pharmaceutical leader Traphaco, which generated a 6.3x return upon exit. Chad holds an MBA from University of Chicago.
Manas Tamotia
Partner
L.E.K.
Manas Tamotia is a Partner in L.E.K.’s Southeast Asia practice and is based in Singapore. He has more than 14 years of experience in strategy consulting in Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Americas. Manas advises major corporations on strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and restructuring. During his career he has worked across a number of different industries but possesses extensive experience in private equity, building products and materials, energy (power and utilities), airports and food and beverage.
Andrew Thompson
Head of Private Equity Asia Pacific, Head of Deal Advisory
KPMG
Andrew Thompson has over 24 years of experience with KPMG principally focused on major Corporate and Private Equity transaction due diligence and deal advisory. In late 2013 he relocated from Sydney, where he led KPMGs Australian Private Equity team, to Singapore to lead KPMGs Private Equity team across Asia-Pacific encompassing M&A deal origination, deal execution services and portfolio value creation activities. Andrew has directly led the transaction execution support work on more than 300 significant transactions with an aggregate deal value of more than $200 billion with the majority being Private Equity sponsored.
His major location experience include: London (5 Years), Sydney (13 Years) and New York (2 Years) and Singapore. In addition he has led deal teams across most SE Asia locations, China, Hong Kong, India and Japan. Andrew has acted for most leading Private Equity sponsors including: KKR, CVC, Blackstone, Carlyle Group, Texas Pacific Group, Macquarie, CHAMP Private Equity, Goldman Sachs PIA, CSFB / DLJ, AMP Capital Investors, Deutsche Bank Capital Partners, TA Associates, Ripplewood, Veronis Suhler, and Morgan Stanley. He has also assisted major Sovereign Wealth and pension funds in analysing direct and co-investment opportunities with Private Equity sponsors.
Yotaro Tokuo
Principal
ADVANTAGE PARTNERS
Mr. Tokuo joined Advantage Partners in July 2007. He earned a BA degree in Arts & Science and an MA degree in System Science from the University of Tokyo. Prior to joining Advantage Partners, he worked as a Manager at Arthur D. Little, engaged in various projects for electronics, semiconductor, automotive and machinery companies. His field of consulting covered areas such as corporate restructuring, strategy development, M&A and change management. At Advantage Partners, he has overseen various buyout investments as well as PIPEs investments in Japan. He is currently based in Singapore as a leading member of the firm’s Asia Fund, engaging in buyouts in Southeast Asia, and recently led the firm’s investment in Vietnam-based Elise Fashion.
Pete Vo
Managing Director
CVC CAPITAL PARTNERS
Pete joined CVC in 2015 with 9 years experience in private equities investing in Vietnam. Previously, he spent five years with private equities firm Vietnam Investment Group, where he was a director and partner. Prior to that, Pete was with Deutsche Bank covering Vietnam equities capital market and Vietnam Partners, a private equities investment company. Before coming to Vietnam, Pete spent 9 years with Citigroup in Manhattan, where he was most recently a Director doing structured credits and securitization deals.
Pete holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS from the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Rebekah Woo
Managing Director, Maternal Infant & Family
FOSUN
With degrees from LSE, Yale and CFA, CAIA professional designations, Rebekah Woo has 20 years of investing experience. Ms. Woo started her career with the the government of Singapore, in Singapore and New York. She then spent more than 6 years with a multi-billion single family office in New York, investing across asset classes. Ms. Woo then joined J.P. Morgan Asset Management, followed by Canada’s 2nd largest pension plan where she became the 1st local employee when it opened its Asia Pacific HQ in Singapore. After a stint at Lufax, a leading fintech company by Ping An Group, Ms. Woo is now with Fosun, responsible for covering investments in the Maternal Infant & Family sector.
Xiaolin Zheng
Strategic Investment Director
JD.COM
Xiaolin is a Director in JD’s Strategic Investment team, and is responsible for developing and implementing the group strategy of JD via investments and M&A.
Prior to JD, Xiaolin was an Investment Director in LeEco’s Corporate Finance team. Between 2014 and 2015, she co-founded and held the title of Head of Finance and Business Development at YouJie YouHuan, a China P2P start up fintech company based in Beijing.
Xiaolin started her career as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch in 2009, and was an associate in Deutsche Bank’s Technology, Media, and Telecommunications team between 2011-2014. She was born and raised in China and received a full scholarship to study in Singapore and the US, graduating with a First-Honor Bachelor Degree (Major in Quantitative Finance) from the National University of Singapore.