Houlihan Lokey Appoints Zili Shao as a Senior Advisor

Mr. Shao to help guide the expansion of the firm’s Financial Restructuring practice in Greater China

BEIJING--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI), the global investment bank, announced today that Zili Shao has been appointed as a Senior Advisor as the firm looks to further develop its Financial Restructuring business in Greater China.

Mr. Shao is Chairman of MountVue Capital Management, a private equity fund manager in China that he founded in 2017. He previously served as Co-Chairman of King & Wood Mallesons in China, Chairman and Chief Executive of JP Morgan China, Vice Chairman of JP Morgan Asia, and Managing Partner of Asia Pacific for Linklaters. He serves as an independent director to Yum China Holdings, Inc., listed on the NYSE and HKEX, and EDP (Energias de Portugal), listed on Euronext Lisbon. In addition, he is a Senior Advisor to Deutsche Börse Group’s Clearstream Banking S.A., and Fangda Partners, a leading PRC law firm in China. He is also a Member of the Advisory Board of Ares SSG Capital Management.

“We are delighted to welcome Mr. Shao to the firm. His appointment as a Senior Advisor provides the firm with access to a seasoned executive with extensive knowledge of both the Chinese financial markets and the regional business environment. I have no doubt his advice will be invaluable as we look to broaden our business in China,” commented Joseph Swanson, Co-Head of Houlihan Lokey Asia.

“Over the past few years, Houlihan Lokey has been retained to advise on some of the most challenging restructuring assignments in the region. The firm is now planning to broaden the services it offers clients in the PRC and continues to hire new staff to support this growth. I am excited at the prospect of helping the firm further develop its Chinese business,” commented Mr. Shao.

“We are proud of the progress we have made in Greater China to date, and the unrivalled expertise we have been able to bring to our clients in the region. However, we believe Mr. Shao’s depth of experience will be instrumental as we further grow the business and enable us to assist a broader range of clients on increasingly complex situations in the PRC,” added Brandon Gale, Head of Asia Restructuring at Houlihan Lokey.

Houlihan Lokey has the largest worldwide financial restructuring practice of any investment banking firm, with offices and approximately 275 experienced professionals located across the globe. Since its inception in 1988, the restructuring group has advised on more than 1,500 restructuring transactions with aggregate debt claims in excess of US$3.0 trillion.

In China, the firm is currently advising on a number of high-profile assignments, including China Evergrande Group (SEHK: 3333); Fantasia Holdings Group (SEHK: 1777); Kaisa Group (SEHK: 1638); Logan Group (SEHK: 3380); Modern Land (SEHK: 1107); and Sunac China Holdings (SEHK: 1918), among others.

About Houlihan Lokey

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) is a global investment bank with expertise in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, financial restructuring, and valuation. The firm serves corporations, institutions, and governments worldwide with offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region. Houlihan Lokey is the No. 1 investment bank for all global M&A transactions, the No. 1 M&A advisor for the past seven consecutive years in the U.S., the No. 1 global restructuring advisor for the past eight consecutive years, and the No. 1 global M&A fairness opinion advisor over the past 20 years, all based on number of transactions and according to data provided by Refinitiv.