General Atlantic hires ex-HKMA CIO to tap Asian LPs

Growth equity investor General Atlantic has appointed Yong Hak Huh, former chief investment officer of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, as special advisor to help the firm tap Asian investors.

Commenting on the appointment, Graves Tompkins, managing director and global head of capital partnering at General Atlantic, said in a statement Huh will play a role in expanding the firm’s relationships with family and institutional investors in the region.

In the role Huh will also work with General Atlantic’s capital partnering team and Asian investment team with transactions in the region, the firm said in a statement. He will also provide counsel and support to the firm’s existing portfolio companies.

He joins the firm’s growing team of advisors which include Abhijit Sen, former chief financial officer of Citi India and Fabio Villegas, ex-chief executive of Latin American carrier Avianca.

Prior to joining GA, Huh was founder and CEO of Hong Kong-based advisory firm First Bridge Strategy, whose clients include sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, pensions funds and financial institutions. Huh was CIO of the private markets and direct investment at the HKMA from 2008 to 2014. Earlier in his career, he was managing director of HSBC Investment Banking and served as MD for JPMorgan for 18 years.

General Atlantic manages about $20 billion of assets globally. The firm has $1.8 billion of capital invested in China and $2 billion invested in India and Asia-Pacific, as of end-December 2016.

The firm focuses on investments across five sectors – internet & technology, financial services, business services, retail & consumer, and healthcare, with support from the firm’s global team of experts.

In November last year the firm sealed its first deal in Indonesia, with its $75 million acquisition of lifestyle retailer PT Mitra Adiperkasa Tbk (MAP).

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