Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) expanded its presence in Asia with the opening of a Seoul office. Jay Kim, former leader of Korean operations for a leading global private equity firm, joined A&M as a managing director to lead its business in Korea.

“A&M has been operating in Asia for more than 10 years, including several assignments in Korea, and we have recently seen increased demand for our services in Korea from regional and global private equity clients as well as corporates,“ said Oliver Stratton, managing director and co-head of A&M Asia. “Both Korean companies and locally based multinationals face the challenges of a more competitive and maturing market, coupled with the high expectations of stakeholders. We are confident that Jay will provide exceptional on-the-ground leadership as he works in conjunction with our regional and global teams to deliver A&M’s unique, hands-on approach to business problem solving, including interim management, in Korea.”

“Korea is particularly sensitive to external changes and any slowdown in growth based on its export-driven economy,” said Kim. “Leveraging A&M’s global experience across a range of industry sectors, I’m confident that we can bring practical turnaround management and performance improvement solutions to Korean clients. On a personal note, I’m delighted to join this team because I believe A&M provides a truly differentiated platform to support private equity and corporate clients.”

Kim’s prior experience includes seven years leading the Korean operations of Riverside Asia Fund and PineBridge Private Equity, and five years with Right Management where he led the Korean office before being promoted into the Asia regional director role. Kim also spent eight years as a strategy consultant with Bain & Company and the Boston Consulting Group where he worked in Korea, Japan and North America.

The announcement reinforces A&M’s ongoing commitment to Asia, where the firm now has offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Mumbai and Seoul.