Apollo expands into Korea with new office and hire
Apollo has expanded into Korea, opening an office in Seoul and naming Jay Hyun Lee as partner and head of Korea.
Lee will help to build on Apollo’s growth plans in the market, working on the firm’s capital formation strategy and institutional relationships, as well as team growth in the country.
He has 25 years experience in financial services, and most recently served as senior executive vice president for Samsung Securities. Prior to that, he was managing director and head of Korea in private equity and growth equity for Goldman Sachs. He has also worked at BNP Paribas and JP Morgan.
“Korea is a leading financial hub where we see a tremendous opportunity to serve investors and retirees across the risk-return spectrum and meet businesses’ growing demand for flexible, creative capital solutions,” said Scott Kleinman, co-president of Apollo Asset Management.
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“We are thrilled to welcome Jay Hyun as we continue to strengthen our presence across Asia Pacific and execute our global growth strategy.”
Apollo has also appointed Dr. Sam Young Chung, Professor at Yonsei University and Head of AIF APAC, as an academic advisor in Asia Pacific. He will apply his academic expertise to the firm’s work at the intersection of retirement solutions and alternative assets.
Apollo has been growing its APAC business for more than 15 years. The firm now has offices in Tokyo, Sydney, Hong Kong, Mumbai and Singapore, as well as the new Seoul base. Part of Apollo’s APAC growth strategy is to provide capital and retirement solutions to assist, support and partner with institutions across various geographies.
“As we grow our franchise in Korea, we are excited to work alongside pensions, insurers and other institutions as a scaled provider of excess return,” said Apollo partner and head of Asia Pacific Matt Michelini.
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“We expect our reach will extend across the regions retirement ecosystem, where we also aim to deliver yield-oriented solutions to individuals and savers seeking duration-matched income products.”
“Apollo has an incredible platform delivering private capital and retirement solutions to clients globally and I am excited to lead their efforts on the ground in Korea,” added Lee.
“I look forward to working with Matt and the team across Asia Pacific and the globe to build upon the strong momentum in the region.”
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