First Avenue launches new Hong Kong office

Private placement agent First Avenue has opened a new office in Hong Kong. The company has also appointed Michael Henningsen as a partner and he will be leading the new office in Hong Kong. Henningsen will also be serving as Asia co-head along with Martin Donnelly, a partner at the firm who runs its Sydney office. Previously, Henningsen worked at Park Hill Group where he served as a managing director and led the firm’s Hong Kong office.

PRESS RELEASE

LONDON/NEW YORK/SYDNEY/HONG KONG – First Avenue, a leading global private placement agent and advisory firm, has opened an office in Hong Kong to further its presence in the Asia-Pacific region and to complement its current offices in London, New York, San Francisco and Sydney. The office will be lead by Michael Henningsen, who joins the firm as a Partner and will work closely with clients and investors throughout Asia. Mr. Henningsen will be Co-Head of Asia, along with Martin Donnelly, who is a Partner and runs the firm’s Sydney office.

Mr. Henningsen has over 15 years of advisory experience in alternative assets and capital markets. He joins the firm from Park Hill Group, as a Managing Director where he led the firm’s Hong Kong office and oversaw project management and all Asian origination. Prior to Park Hill, Mr. Henningsen was a Director at UBS in its Private Funds Group in London. He has worked on mandates for a number of leading private fund managers.

“Since inception, First Avenue has sought to identify and represent the highest quality fund sponsors. AsiaPacific is a critical component to our future success, and Michael’s joining is a natural step to complement our firm’s already strong distribution network in the region with our on-the-ground coverage in both Hong Kong and Sydney,” commented Martin Donnelly. “The universe of managers in the region seeking to raise capital is expanding rapidly while at the same time it is becoming a core area of focus for limited partners globally. Our presence in Hong Kong will help us better serve alternative investment managers by offering the very best advice and project management capabilities, which will significantly benefit both our clients and the investors we maintain relationships with.”

Paul Buckley, First Avenue’s London-based Managing Partner, added, “Michael’s arrival marks the start of First Avenue’s next stage of growth. His reputation and connectivity with Asian GPs signals the importance of Asia to First Avenue long term as we look beyond the current headwinds from China.”

About First Avenue
Founded in 2006, FIRSTavenue is a leading independent global placement agent and advisory firm dedicated to raising capital for a distinguished group of alternative asset managers and corporations across private credit, private equity, real assets and real estate in both developed and emerging markets. With an experienced team of over 53 professionals located in London, New York, San Francisco, Sydney and Hong Kong, First Avenue provides global distribution and accessibility to an extensive network of institutional investors. For more information on First Avenue, please visit www.firstavenue.com.