SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced the expansion of KKR’s Global Impact team with the appointment of Chee-Wei Wong as Head of Global Impact for Asia.
KKR Global Impact is focused on identifying and investing behind global opportunities where financial performance and societal impact are intrinsically aligned. The business specifically focuses on companies whose core business models provide commercial solutions that contribute measurable progress toward one or more of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (“SDGs”).
“Chee-Wei brings a wealth of sustainability-related investment experience in Asia and globally, in line with KKR Global Impact’s own mission. This valuable expertise will be essential as we continue to build the firm’s Impact business across Asia,” said Robert Antablin and Ken Mehlman, Co-Heads of KKR Global Impact. “Asia Pacific is a growing priority for our Impact strategy. Chee-Wei’s ability to identify innovative companies throughout markets in the region including Southeast Asia, South Asia, Greater China and Australia will be critical as we look to deploy capital.”
In the role, Mr. Wong, who is based in Singapore, is responsible for sourcing investment opportunities and supporting impact-related portfolio companies across Asia Pacific. Mr. Wong will also serve as a member of the firm’s Global Impact Investment Committee. The addition of Mr. Wong follows KKR Global Impact’s recent international expansion with the appointments of Stanislas de Joussineau as Head of Global Impact for Europe and Sharon Yang as a senior investor for KKR Global Impact in Asia. The expanded global team is further supported by KKR executives across key industries and regions of focus.
Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Wong was a managing director at Tailwind Capital in New York and spent nine years at EQT in New York and Singapore, where he was an investor and board member of sustainability-focused technology enterprises and healthcare companies. Before that, he was a consultant at Bain & Company and a Justices’ Law Clerk in the Supreme Court of Singapore. He holds a Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honors) degree from the National University of Singapore.
Ming Lu, Head of KKR Asia Pacific, said, “Asia Pacific’s unique economic and social dynamics – coupled with growing corporate adoption of environmental, social and governance initiatives and meaningful structural reforms – have created a significant opportunity to support companies whose products or services address environmental or social challenges. There has never been greater desire and momentum for responsible and solutions-oriented investment in Asia, and we are thrilled to welcome Chee-Wei to the team to lead our Asia Impact efforts to grow our strategy and positive involvement in communities.”
Over the last decade, KKR has been a leader in driving and protecting value throughout the firm’s private markets portfolio through thoughtful environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) management, as well as measuring and reporting on performance to the public and investors. The firm also has a history of investing in businesses that promote sustainable solutions to societal challenges. This experience of responsible investment combined with a changing landscape of global challenges led to KKR’s decision to create a dedicated Global Impact business in 2018.
On February 12, 2020, KKR announced the firm had closed its first Global Impact Fund at $1.3 billion. KKR’s Global Impact Fund has successfully executed six investments since inception, including Barghest Building Performance, a Singapore-based provider of energy savings solutions to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in commercial and industrial buildings, and Ramky Enviro Engineers, a leading provider of environmental and waste management services and solutions in India and overseas.
About KKR
KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR), please visit KKR's website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.
