US-based private equity firm Lexington Partners has announced the appointment of Kenneth Allen, formerly the Australian Consul-General in New York, as a senior adviser.
At Lexington, Allen will focus on the Australia and Asia Pacific region and will be based in Sydney.
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Allen began his banking career with the World Bank in Washington D.C., and was involved with large scale industrial projects in a number of countries, including Brazil, Indonesia, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Yugoslavia. After that, he joined Merrill Lynch in New York and was responsible for the establishment of its investment banking activities in Australia.
After Merrill Lynch, Allen was executive vice president with Bankers Trust, chairman of investment banking with County NatWest Australia and managing director of Shearson Lehman Brothers in Sydney, before joining Macquarie Bank as senior director investment banking.
Brent Nicklas, managing partner at Lexington, said in a statement: “Lexington Partners has been an active private equity investor in the Asia-Pacific region since 2000 and has received significant commitments from investors in the region, particularly from Australia and Japan. Ken’s appointment services to reinforce Lexington’s presence in an increasingly important region for global private equity.”
Lexington Partners said that, in addition to primary and secondary fund investments, the firm expects to co-invest with leading private equity firms in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.
New York-headquartered Lexington Partners currently manages more than $10 billion in committed capital and also has offices in Boston, Menlo Park and London.