[THE INVESTOR] The AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Forum, cited as the most influential and largest gathering of private equity and venture professionals in Asia, will kick off its three-day run on Nov. 14 in Hong Kong.

More than 1,000 industry leaders and investors from 34-plus countries will discuss some of the industry’s most pressing challenges with a focus on Asia during the annual event that celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. 

“The private equity industry globally has undergone a significant evolution in the last 30 years, and in the last decade alone we have seen it go from boom to bust and back to boom again,” said Tim Burroughs, managing editor of Asia Venture Capital Journal. “In terms of fundraising, valuation multiples, and leverage levels, there have been times in the last 12 months when market conditions seemed like those in the run-up to the global financial crisis.”

Fundraising in Asia hit an all-time high of US$127 billion in 2016, largely driven by a surge in renminbi-focused funds, according to AVCJ Research. This year, the figure has reached US$73.1 billion in the first nine months.

Investment stood at US$144 billion last year, the second-largest annual total. With investments amounting to US$140.8 billion as of September, the amount is expected to be surpassed this year.

Private equity exits also came to another record high of US$72.4 billion last year, while this year US$53.4 billion has been realized so far.

“Private equity has entered a new era in the region as global brand-name firms sit alongside a growing collection of new and established managers. With a degree of macroeconomic and political uncertainty also present in Asia, it will be interesting to hear how PEFs are responding to these changing dynamics,” Burroughs added.

At this year’s AVCJ Forum, four distinct summits -- Investment Summit, VC Summit, PE Leaders’ Summit and LP Summit -- will be hosted, each covering a different facet of the private equity and venture capital industry in Asia. Renowned experts will offer deep industry knowledge during the panel discussions.

The key speakers include: Christopher Ailman, CIO of California State Teachers’ Retirement System; Daniel A. D’Aniello, chairman and co-founder of The Carlyle Group; Jonathan Lavine, co-managing partner of Bain Capital; Hideya Sadanaga, managing director and head of private equity investment department of Japan Post Bank; Steve Byrom, head of private equity of Future Fund; Anders Stromblad, head of external mangers of AP2; Ilfryn C. Carstairs, partner and co-CIO of Varde Partners and Kurt Bjorklund, managing partner of Permira.

Asia Venture Capital Journal, an Acuris company, is the leading provider of Asian private equity and venture capital information and intelligence. The annual forum and its regional events have become a venue for quality discussions, strategic debates and productive networking for industry experts worldwide.

The Investor, an in-house startup of The Korea Herald and the nation’s only English news service catering especially to professional investors, is an official media partner for the AVCJ Forum.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)