AVISTA ADVISORY GROUP APPOINTS SUI LING CHEAH VICE CHAIRMAN OF ASIA-PACIFIC REGION


NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avista Advisory Group (Avista), the Pan-Asian advisory firm headquartered in Singapore, and Houlihan Lokey, the international investment bank with a minority stake in Avista, today announced that Sui Ling Cheah has joined Avista as Vice Chairman of Asia Pacific. She is based in Singapore.

Prior to joining Avista, Ms. Cheah was CEO of Corporate Finance at BNP Paribas Securities in Singapore, leading that firm's corporate finance business with a specific focus on cross-border M &A between Europe and Southeast Asia, as well as capital-raising for clients in the Asia-Pacific region. She was also a key member of BNP's Asian leadership team and the global International Executive Committee for Corporate Finance.

Prior to BNP, Ms. Cheah spent six years at J.P. Morgan as a senior coverage banker responsible for Singapore client origination, working with sovereign wealth funds as well as blue-chip and high-growth corporates. She began her career at Merrill Lynch Investment Banking in 1994.

"With more than 17 years of investment banking experience in multiple financial centers around the globe, and having worked with a massive range of clients, Sui Ling is a perfect addition to our senior management team at Avista," said Rajiv Kochhar, CEO of Avista. "We're excited that she has joined Avista, and we have no doubt that both the firm and our client will benefit tremendously from her experience and expertise," he continued.

"Avista Advisory and its client base in the Asia-Pacific region are growing substantially, and Sui Ling, with her strong track record of success, will unquestionably become an integral part of that growth. We look forward to working with her as we continue our successful partnership with Avista," said Scott Adelson, Co-President of Houlihan Lokey.

"I'm delighted to have joined Avista," said Ms. Cheah. "I look forward to help grow the business and, more importantly, contribute to the first-class client service Avista provides its clients throughout the region," she added.

Ms. Cheah holds a B.A in Economics and French from Wellesley College.

Avista Advisory Group is a Pan-Asian investment banking advisory firm, with operations in India and Singapore, focusing on the mid-market sector. Avista's key product expertise is across M &A, financing, and restructuring advisory, which is well supported by an experienced team with industry expertise across key sectors of Industrials, Consumer, TMT, Real Estate, Energy & Utilities, and Infrastructure. The simple strategy for growth at Avista has been to service its high-growth, mid-market clientele through its integrated platform of product, industry expertise, and regional coverage across the corporate finance spectrum. Please visit www.avistaadvisory.com for additional information about Avista.

Houlihan Lokey is an international 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, and Asia. Independent advice and intellectual rigor are hallmarks of our commitment to client success across our advisory services. Houlihan Lokey is ranked as the No. 1 global restructuring advisor, the No. 1 M &A fairness opinion advisor for U.S. transactions over the past 10 years, and the No. 1 M &A advisor for U.S. transactions under $3 billion, according to Thomson Reuters. For more information, please visit www.HL.com.

For press inquiries, contact John Gallagher at 212.497.4220.

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