People Moves
Rockefeller Family Member Joins Asia-Focused Investment House; MD Named

The Sylvan Group was founded in 2019 after members of the Hyundai and Rockefeller families and Asia buyout figures from UBS Capital and KKR began a series of discussions.
Sylvan Group, a
private equity and buyout firm backed by members of the
Rockefeller and Hyundai dynasties, has appointed Valerie
Rockefeller as vice chairman for its advisory board.
At the same time, Kin Wong has joined Sylvan as managing director
carrying out deal origination, structuring, execution and
portfolio management across Asia. Ms Rockefeller, a well-known
philanthropist and Sylvan’s environmental, social and governance
impact partner, will help the firm identify and assess potential
investments based on their positive impact on society, Sylvan
said in a statement today.
“Valerie comes from one of the most iconic families in American
philanthropy and is an active social impact practitioner, while
Kin’s expertise in private equity and knowledge of Southeast Asia
are what we need to source fairly priced assets, provide hands-on
guidance to investee companies and ultimately create value to
boost our returns to our partners,” Kyungsun Chung, Sylvan’s
co-founder and managing partner, said.
Ms Rockefeller chairs the board of trustees for the Rockefeller
Brothers Foundation, a private foundation advancing social change
that contributes to a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world.
She also co-founded and co-chairs BankFWD, a network aiming to
persuade American banks to phase out financing for fossil fuels.
(One of the ironies of this is that the Rockefeller fortune was
created in the 19th Century by oil tycoon John D
Rockefeller.)
In other roles, Ms Rockefeller serves as a trustee of Achievement
First, a network of schools that help pupils from low-income
families achieve their full potential; the Asian Cultural
Council; Columbia University Teachers College; DC Preparatory
Academy, a school that helps students from underserved
communities; Greenwich Academy, a private school for girls; and
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.
“I respect Kyungsun for what he is trying to do in impact
investing in Asia. I am honored to be able to partner him in this
exciting enterprise. Scarcity and inequality are two of the
biggest challenges facing mankind today and I look forward to
contributing in any way I can to overcoming these challenges,” Ms
Rockefeller said.
Wong joined KKR in 2012 and was a principal in the team that
focused on Southeast Asia. He was previously an analyst with Bank
of America Merrill Lynch’s global mergers and acquisitions team
in New York City.