BDA strengthens Korean team by hiring Kevin Choi and colleagues

June 1, 2015

BDA Partners is pleased to announce that it has made three important hires to bolster the BDA team in Seoul, Korea.

Kevin Choi has joined BDA as a Managing Director, supporting Howard Lee in managing BDA’s Korean operations.

Before joining BDA, Mr. Choi was the Co-Head (and Representative Director) at Macquarie Securities Korea. During his eleven year career at Macquarie, he was responsible for sourcing and executing domestic and cross-border M&A transactions for Korean corporations and private equity firms. Mr. Choi’s clients included conglomerates Hyundai Group, Kumho Group, LG Group, and SK Group, and financial sponsors Affinity, Carlyle, IMM, KKR, and MBK. He advised on several of the highest profile transactions in the Korean market. Notably, in 2013, Mr. Choi advised SK Telecom on its acquisition of Hynix Semiconductor, one of the largest technology M&A deals in Korean history. In 2003, he successfully defended Hyundai Merchant Marine against the hostile M&A takeover attempt by Hyundai Heavy Industries and KCC. Mr. Choi began his career at KPMG in Korea. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Seoul National University and is fluent in Korean and English.

Two other significant members of the Macquarie team in Korea have also joined BDA: Ryan Jung, Director, and Yougyeong Kwon, Associate. Together, these professionals have built a track record in both domestic and cross-border M&A.

Kevin Choi stated, “My colleagues and I were attracted to BDA’s unique global footprint and strong client base. I’m pleased to be working with Howard Lee again and am excited by what we can achieve together in Asia, the US, and Europe.”

Howard Lee, Managing Director and Head of BDA Seoul, added, “I enjoyed working with Kevin and his colleagues in the past, and am thrilled to be able to bring them to BDA. We are already working on three high quality new mandates initiated by Kevin. BDA now ranks among the most well positioned investment banking firms in the Korean market.”

Charles Maynard, Co-Founder and Senior Managing Director of BDA, said, “This was a well-targeted opportunity to grow our presence in the strategically important Korean market. I’m confident that we, and our clients, will greatly benefit from bringing Kevin and his team members over to BDA.”

If you have questions, please contact Howard Lee, hlee@bdapartners.com in Seoul, or Charles Maynard, cmaynard@bdapartners.com in London.

About BDA
BDA Partners is a leader in cross-border investment banking involving Asia. BDA advises on M&A, capital raising, and restructuring. BDA has been consistently owned and managed by the same team since 1996. BDA has a track record of providing independent advice to blue-chip corporate and financial sponsor clients from North America, Europe, and Asia. BDA is headquartered in New York with offices in London, Bahrain, Mumbai, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul, and Tokyo. BDA was named M&A Advisory Firm of the Year at The ACG Champions Awards in 2014. BDA formed a partnership with William Blair & Company in 2011.

BDA carries out its US securities business through BDA Advisors Inc., a broker-dealer registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and a member of FINRA and SIPC. BDA’s UK subsidiary is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.