BDA alumni newsletter | September 2024

Dear Alumni,

I’m sitting in New York, really excited about the final four months of 2024.

After a tough 18 months across the world of investment banking – and especially in the emerging markets of Asia – we’re suddenly getting a good number of deals closed. The mood has improved markedly. We’ve announced four transactions in the last two weeks. Bright spots today include India and Korea. We’re seeing success in tech-enabled services, healthcare and industrials.  

BDA has weathered the storm. We’ve just signed our first-ever transaction valued above $2bn. We’re seeing increasing traction in fees at the $3m-$10m fee level. We’re making significant progress on sellside, buyside and capital raise deals. We expect to close the year strongly, potentially at a record run rate, notwithstanding the poor start to 2024.

We value all of you, our stellar alumni. Please tell us what you’ve been up to. Check in on your former teammates, refer good candidates to BDA, and also please recommend us to advise on the juiciest mandates in Asia and beyond.

We’ve been thrilled to support co-founder Charlie Maynard in his successful campaign to become Lib Dem MP for Witney in the UK. He’s already doing great things for his constituents.

We were once again recognised as Investment Banking Firm of the Year – Asia Pacific, at the 15th Annual M&A Advisor Awards.

Our teams are working flat out, efficiently and productively, to finish the year strongly.

We’re celebrating BDA’s 28th birthday in the coming few days. Most of our most recent hires weren’t even born in 1996.

We’ll be hosting our sixth annual private equity conference in Singapore in October. Let us know if you might be able to join us there – or else come and see us in New York, London, Mumbai, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Shanghai, Seoul or Tokyo.

Wherever you’re reading this, we wish you a great rest of the year, and thank you for your friendship – and for all your support of BDA Partners.

Best regards,

Euan Rellie
Managing Partner 

Alumni in Focus

Letter to BDA Alumni

There were several turning points in my life—joining BDA in 2002 and setting up the Tokyo office to support Charlie were some of the biggest. I had 38 years of experience at a Japanese chemical company, and upon my retirement in 2002, an American lawyer asked me to establish the BDA Japan office. Embracing this new experience, I had the support of Eric, a close friend from Singapore, who played a key role.

I first met Andy at Eric’s home party in Singapore. Since then, I’ve met him and other BDA staff several times in Singapore and at the offices of ex-chemical companies in Tokyo, where we discussed the current situation and the future of the chemical sector.

When we opened the BDA Tokyo office, M&A deals were still seen as quite unusual in Japan, even considered an anti-social business, with rumors of ties to the Yakuza (Mafia). It was tough to even open the door for an introduction to new opportunities, especially without established contacts.

In 2004, we secured a partnership between a US manufacturer and a Japanese trading house involving essential parts for liquid crystal technology. This was our first deal in Tokyo, and even after 20 years, it continues to generate significant profits—a deal I remain deeply proud of.

Several years after opening the Tokyo office, as a global investment banking advisor with no established name, we managed to build a wide-ranging network. Throughout my life, I’ve always believed in maintaining a wide network and cultivating trustworthy relationships. These values have been key to opening doors and achieving deals in our line of business.

What have you been up to since BDA?  

Before and after my retirement, I took part in volunteer activities for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2020 and 2021, mainly through Zoom because of COVID-19. These activities included participating in exchange meetings with Coventry volunteers from the London Olympics in 2012, and supporting the athletes by singing the national anthems of 208 countries and organizations. I even had the chance to perform a New Zealand song in Māori.

Now, I’m part of four exchange meeting groups, with the main purpose being to brush up on English conversation skills. These groups invite native English speakers, including current and former colleagues from BDA. There are many meetings, including one with British people from Coventry, and others with people from countries like the UK, US, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Europe, Australia and more.

Do you miss anything from BDA? 

I’ve always appreciated BDA’s kindness in inviting me to events at the Tokyo office. I enjoy participating and talking with everyone, especially the younger generation. Over my 18 years with BDA, I’ve made many good memories, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Shortly after joining BDA, my wife and I visited the New York office to see Euan. He took us to Yankee Stadium to watch Hideki Matsui, who was a very famous Japanese baseball player at the time. Unfortunately, the game was canceled due to heavy rain, so we just bought a hot dog and headed back. Even though we didn’t get to see Matsui, it remains an unforgettable and fun memory.

Thanks to everyone at BDA 

I would like to express my gratitude to the Partners—Andy, Euan, Paul, Jeff—and all the other MDs and colleagues who have made me feel happy at BDA for so many years. I am also deeply grateful to Charlie and Jeff for making the work in Tokyo both enjoyable and rewarding.

Contact

Feel free to reach out on LinkedIn

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Get in touch

If you have anything you want to share with us and the alumni community, to know more about the program, or to be featured, please get in touch with any of the Managing Partners or through one of the following channels:

BDA Alumni: alumni@bdapartners.com
Renita Brammadas, HR Director
Sarah Chong, Marketing Lead 
Yuiko Kawabata, Operations & HR Manager 
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Finally, don’t forget to join the BDA Partners LinkedIn Alumni Group.