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Lingxiu Zhang, CFA, CAIA, CGMA

Senior Private Equity & M&A Professional | Cross-Border Deal Execution | Principal Investing

About Me

Senior investment professional with 14+ years of experience executing complex cross-border transactions and private equity investments across emerging markets in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America. Proven track record leading buy-side, sell-side, take-private, and restructuring transactions ranging from $40M to $1.5B+. I specialize in sourcing and executing high-impact investments in transformative businesses across emerging markets, with particular expertise in fintech, mobility, e-commerce, and supply chain infrastructure. My background spans investment banking at leading platforms including Huatai Securities (China's #1 M&A advisor) and Standard Bank Group (Africa's leading investment bank), as well as growth-stage private equity investing. Throughout my career, I've advised listed corporates, financial sponsors, and family offices on market entry strategies, capital raising, and value creation initiatives. My deep emerging markets expertise, particularly in MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa, enables me to identify opportunities where others see complexity. I'm passionate about deploying capital that drives economic inclusion and infrastructure development in underserved markets, and I believe the most compelling investment opportunities lie at the intersection of technology adoption and emerging consumer markets.

Jurisdiction

China | Hong Kong S.A.R. | United Arab Emirates | South Africa | Nigeria | Kenya | Egypt | Saudi Arabia | Germany | Chile | Singapore

Notable Employer

  • Senior Vice President, Cross-Border M&A at Huatai International Financial Holdings Company Limited
  • Senior Associate, Private Equity at ChinaEquity Investment
  • M&A Associate, Investment Banking at Standard Bank Group
  • Private Equity Senior Analyst at Hosen Capital
  • Summer Analyst, Hedge Fund Strategies at Morgan Stanley

Experience

Seniority LevelExecutive
Years of Experience15-20 years
Current StatusActive
Founding PartnerRoselake Ventures
2021 - Present

Partner responsible for originating, structuring, and executing cross-border private investments across emerging markets, with a focus on growth and structured equity and debt transactions. I lead the full investment lifecycle—from sourcing and underwriting through structuring, governance design, and post-investment value creation—working closely with founders, management teams, and co-investors in environments with high execution and information asymmetry. My role involves hands-on engagement with portfolio companies on strategy, fundraising, partnerships, and M&A evaluation, as well as advising corporates and family-owned capital on cross-border investments and market entry in Africa, Asia, and MENA-adjacent markets. Sectors covered include fintech, mobility, logistics, consumer platforms, and financial services, with a strong emphasis on downside protection, governance, and exit optionality.

Chief of Staff & Head of Business IntelligenceZhongyuan Consumer Finance
2020 - 2021

Licensed fintech unicorn jointly sponsored by Warburg Pincus and Zhongyuan Bank, providing unsecured lending products at scale. Senior execution role supporting the CEO and shareholders of a sponsor-backed consumer finance platform, with responsibility spanning governance, strategic initiatives, and data-driven decision support. Led the end-to-end execution of the Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP), coordinating shareholders, regulators, and external advisors through approval. Acted as a key interface between management, shareholders, and regulators on sensitive governance and incentive matters. Built and led the Business Intelligence function from the ground up, providing performance analytics and insights used in board discussions, annual strategy reviews, and capital allocation decisions. The role combined elements of corporate development, shareholder engagement, and operational analytics within a regulated financial institution backed by top-tier sponsors.

Senior Vice President, Cross-Border M&ANotableHuatai International Financial Holdings Company Limited
2017 - 2020

Senior execution lead in China’s leading onshore M&A advisory platform, consistently ranked No.1 in M&A by deal value and transaction count for over a decade, and awarded the Best Cross-Border M&A by Asiamoney. Led complex cross-border buy-side, sell-side, and take-private transactions for listed companies and financial sponsors across Europe, Africa, and Latin America. Acted as primary execution lead with responsibility for transaction structuring, valuation, due diligence coordination, financing, and SPA/SHA negotiation. Recognized as “Employee of the Year” in 2018 for outstanding execution leadership and transaction delivery. Actively contributed to business development, originating and developing senior-level relationships with listed corporates and advising on outbound M&A strategy. In parallel, appointed as a Director of the China Mergers & Acquisitions Association (CMAA), contributing to industry dialogue and best-practice development in listed company M&A and post-merger integration.

Senior Associate, Private EquityNotableChinaEquity Investment
2016 - 2017

Private equity investing role focused on growth capital investments across cleantech, EV supply chain, and consumer fintech sectors. Independently sourced and evaluated investment opportunities, conducted commercial and market due diligence, and supported investment committee decision-making. Worked closely with founders and management teams on strategy, growth planning, and capital structure considerations. This role marked my transition from advisory to principal investing, building hands-on underwriting and ownership experience.

M&A Associate, Investment BankingNotableStandard Bank Group
2013 - 2015

Investment banking role within Standard Bank Group, Africa’s leading investment banking franchise and the top-ranked M&A advisor on the continent, consistently recognized as No.1 by Euromoney and EMEA Finance. Executed buy-side and sell-side M&A transactions across power, telecom, financial services, mining, and consumer sectors, working on complex cross-border mandates involving regulatory, political, and execution risk. Built detailed valuation and operating models, coordinated multi-jurisdictional due diligence, and supported senior bankers in transaction structuring and negotiation. Recognized as a top performer and selected for a competitive internal secondment to Stanbic IBTC Capital in Nigeria, joining the dedicated M&A team to support transactions in West Africa’s largest market. The secondment provided direct exposure to sponsor-led and corporate M&A execution in a high-growth, high-complexity environment. This experience built a strong foundation in executing transactions in emerging markets under conditions of limited infrastructure, information asymmetry, and heightened stakeholder complexity.

Private Equity Senior AnalystNotableHosen Capital
2012 - 2013

Executed control and growth investments across food and consumer value chains for the private equity platform backed by New Hope Group, a leading Asian agribusiness conglomerate. Built detailed operating and LBO models, conducted sector research, and supported investment decision-making for leveraged acquisitions. Gained early exposure to ownership-oriented investing and capital structure analysis.

Summer Analyst, Hedge Fund StrategiesNotableMorgan Stanley
2007 - 2007

Summer analyst within Morgan Stanley Investment Management, supporting a fund-of-hedge-funds investment team. Conducted hedge fund manager research and due diligence, including performance attribution, drawdown/volatility analysis, correlation assessment, and strategy-level risk review. Supported investment review materials and monitoring work for multi-manager portfolios. This experience provided early exposure to institutional investment processes, manager underwriting, and risk-based evaluation frameworks.

Education

Masters of International and Development EconomicsYale University
2010 - 2011
Degree of Actuarial ScienceThe London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
2005 - 2008

Certification

Total Certifications3

Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)

CFA Institute

Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA)

CAIA Association

Chartered Global Management Accountant

Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)

Skills

Core skills0
Languages3

Languages

English
Chinese
Spanish