SEOUL & TORONTO -- Northleaf Capital Partners (“Northleaf”), a global private markets investment firm, announced the opening of its new office in Seoul, Republic of Korea to support continued investor interest in the firm’s mid-market private markets platform. This marks Northleaf’s tenth global office and complements the firm’s existing Asia-Pacific locations in Melbourne, Australia and Tokyo, Japan.

The Seoul office is led by Chung-hyun (Alex) Lee, Managing Director, who joined Northleaf earlier this year. Lee brings extensive expertise in the South Korean market and will play a pivotal role in building relationships and serving investors. He reports to Jeff Pentland, Managing Director & Head of Asia-Pacific, who is based in Tokyo.

“We have been very pleased with the strong interest from investors throughout Asia and the warm reception of our Tokyo office launch in 2022. As we indicated at the time, establishing a presence in Seoul was the natural next step,” said Pentland. “We are confident that Alex’s expertise and extensive network will enhance Northleaf’s ability to provide investors in this region with access to our differentiated mid-market private markets platform.”

Before joining Northleaf, Lee was a Managing Director at Seraya Partners, an independent private equity manager investing in infrastructure in Asia. Previously, he held senior roles at the Korea Investment Corporation (KIC) in Seoul and New York for eight years, where he played a key role in building out infrastructure investment portfolios. Prior to that, Lee worked with Korea Ratings (infrastructure deal advisory), KPMG Korea (M&A transaction services), and Deloitte Korea (audit and assurance).

“I am excited to join Northleaf and expand the firm’s presence in the South Korean market,” said Lee. “Northleaf's global investment expertise, proven track record, and mid-market focus in private equity, private credit and infrastructure make it uniquely positioned to deliver tailored solutions that meet the evolving needs of investors in this dynamic region.”

“The opening of our Seoul office underscores our commitment to the Asia-Pacific market, where investor interest in Northleaf’s private markets strategies continues to grow and build momentum,” said Stuart Waugh, Managing Partner of Northleaf. “We are excited to serve a broader array of investors seeking a trusted partner to deliver exposure to attractive mid-market opportunities and consistent results.”

Northleaf has experienced strong growth globally and has now raised US$26 billion in private equity, private credit, and infrastructure commitments to date.