Houlihan Lokey has hired former Lazard banker David Timblick to replace David Putnam as head of Asia, as the bank continues to try to build its mid-market M&A, restructuring and financial advisory business across Asia.
Timblick, who will be based in Hong Kong, has held a number of roles at Lazard during the past 14 years. He left the bank in February and most recently served as head of Lazard’s Asia advisory practice, overseeing strategy, planning, and client coverage across the region. He has also held senior positions at Korea Merchant Banking Corporation and Arthur Andersen Consulting, having started his banking career in 1990 at Arthur Andersen & Co.
“[Timblick] will be instrumental in helping Houlihan Lokey continue to grow throughout Asia and become the premier advisory investment banking firm in the region,” says Scott Beiser, chief executive of Houlihan Lokey.
The move will reunite Timblick with Weimin Chan, a former Lazard colleague who joined the bank in September 2011 as head of China. Chen was with Lazard for more than four years, where he was general manager of its Beijing office, responsible for the firm’s coverage efforts in China.
Putnam, who Timblick is replacing, established Houlihan Lokey’s first Asian office in Hong Kong in 2006, after joining from Citi, where he was an M&A banker. A spokesman for Houlihan Lokey would not comment on when Putnam left the firm.
Houlihan Lokey has 16 offices worldwide, including offices in Beijing, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Through its investment in India-based Avista Advisory, the firm also serves clients in Singapore and Mumbai.
