Nicholas Ashby (Founder & CEO)
A career investment banker with 30 years’ experience that includes M&A, privatisations, private equity, venture capital, equity research and fund management, and wide variety of advisory and consulting work related to corporate finance, capital raising and financing strategy.
Prior to establishing Celadon Capital in 1996, he was attached to Crosby Group (1992-95), now part of Société Generale, where he oversaw the development of its corporate finance and equity operations in Malaysia, India, Korea and Philippines, as well as assignments in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Japan.
Previously, he was a senior member of the M&A team of Nomura International in UK (1989-92), where among other transactions, he was involved in the privatisation of the Czech tobacco industry through a US$400 million sale to Philip Morris Inc., now Altria.
In his earlier career, he was a senior equity research analyst with SG Warburg Securities in Tokyo (1985-88) and prior to that with a leading London stockbroking firm, both now part of UBS Group.
Previous experience in management finance and strategy planning at Ford Motor Company in UK, which he entered after graduation in 1980.
Skillsets: Financing and M&A transaction sourcing, structuring, negotiation, execution; access to global equity capital markets, investment institutions, VCs and private equity funds; strong entrepreneur instincts.
Education: Masters Degrees in Chemical Engineering and Natural Sciences from Trinity Hall, Cambridge, England.
External Activities: He is a well-known figure among the financial services and investment communities and a regular speaker at conferences in Malaysia, and all around Asia-Pacific. He also serves as an advisor to a number of entrepreneur-run companies in India and SE Asia.
