James Kim Joins Ares Management as Head of European Special Opportunities in the Ares Private Equity Group

Mr. Kim Brings Significant Global Private Equity and Leveraged Finance Experience to Support Ares’ Continued Growth in Europe

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) (“Ares”) announced today that James Kim has joined Ares as a Partner and Head of European Special Opportunities in Ares’ Private Equity Group. Based in London, Mr. Kim will lead Ares’ Special Opportunities activities in Europe, adding to Ares’ growing private equity presence in the region, while leveraging Ares’ leading European private credit and real estate platforms.

“James is a seasoned and accomplished investment professional with whom I’ve had the opportunity to develop a strong working relationship over the last decade,” said Scott Graves, Partner, Co-Head of the Ares Private Equity Group and Head of Special Opportunities. “His extensive experience leading investment strategies and partnering with European businesses to deliver bespoke debt and non-control equity capital solutions will be an invaluable asset to our team. Given the significant opportunities we see in Europe, we believe our sourcing and execution capabilities will meaningfully benefit from an enhanced local presence.”

“We continue to see a significant opportunity for expansion of our private equity franchise in Europe,” said Matt Cwiertnia, Partner and Co-Head of the Ares Private Equity Group. “We believe that under the leadership of James and Stephane Etroy, who has led our European Corporate Private Equity strategy since 2020, our business is well positioned to continue to grow and thrive in the region.”

“I am thrilled to join Ares and look forward to collaborating closely with both the Corporate Private Equity and Direct Lending teams in Europe,” said Mr. Kim. “There is a growing need for partnership capital to provide bespoke financing solutions in Europe. We believe Ares is strategically placed to continue being a strong partner given its extensive and deep relationships, leading market reputation and flexibility to provide creative debt and equity capital solutions to corporates and sponsors in the region.”

Mr. Kim has more than 18 years of global private equity and leveraged finance experience. Prior to joining Ares, Mr. Kim spent over 11 years at Apollo Global Management where he most recently served as a Partner and the European Co-Head of Hybrid Value, focused on providing innovative debt and equity solutions to European corporates. Mr. Kim also served on Apollo’s European Operating, Strategic and Risk committees. Prior to joining Apollo, Mr. Kim was a Senior Associate in Citi’s European Leveraged Finance team where he focused on structuring and syndicating European leveraged loans and high yield bonds. Before Citi, he worked in the private equity team at the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Mr. Kim graduated with distinction from The Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario with an Honours in Business Administration.

About Ares Management Corporation

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a leading global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, private equity, real estate and infrastructure asset classes. We seek to provide flexible capital to support businesses and create value for our stakeholders and within our communities. By collaborating across our investment groups, we aim to generate consistent and attractive investment returns throughout market cycles. As of June 30, 2022, Ares Management Corporation's global platform had approximately $334 billion of assets under management, with over 2,300 employees operating across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. For more information, please visit www.aresmgmt.com.

About Ares Private Equity Group

With a track record spanning two decades, the Ares Private Equity Group is a leading provider of both control and non-control hybrid capital solutions for middle market companies primarily in North America and Europe. The private equity professionals have a demonstrated ability to deploy flexible capital, which allows them to stay both active and disciplined in various market environments. As of June 30, 2022, the Ares Private Equity Group had approximately $33.4 billion of assets under management and 90 investment professionals.