Private equity firm Permira has appointed David Ho, former president of Nokia in China, as senior adviser.
Ho will help Permira expand its presence in Greater China and will advise the funds on investment opportunities in the region.
Ho will be based in Beijing.
Since 2008, Ho has been chairman of Kiina Group, an investment company backing internet and communications technology start-ups in Greater China.
Previously he spent 27 years in the telecoms industry, holding a number of senior positions at Nokia, including chairman of Nokia Siemens Networks, where he was responsible for the entire business and operations in the Greater China Region.
Prior to that, David spent three years running Nortel Networks’ business in China and for six years previously he worked for Motorola, leading its cellular infrastructure division in China.
Ho began his career at Northern Telecom in Canada, before moving with the company to Asia, where he has since been based.
Ho will work closely with the Hong Kong team led by Henry Chen to source attractive investment opportunities in Greater China as well as provide insights on the business environment in China to the funds’ existing portfolio companies. He will advise on investment opportunities across sectors including the TMT sector, one of Permira’s five core areas.
Chen says: “We are delighted that David has decided to join the Permira team in Asia. David’s extensive experience in running and growing businesses in Greater China together with his extended network of contacts throughout the region will be invaluable to the firm and to our funds’ portfolio companies as we continue to build our presence across Asia. We look forward to working with him on pursuing exciting new investment opportunities for the funds.”
Ho adds: “I am thrilled to be joining Permira, a leading private equity firm with a fantastic track record of investing in high quality companies around the world. Asia is a fast-growing and exciting region to invest in today and I look forward to working with Henry and Permira’s broader global team both to source attractive investment opportunities for the funds and to assist existing portfolio companies as they execute their China growth strategies.”
