Asian brokerage CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets is hoping David Beckham will hit the target with clients at its annual investor conference in Hong Kong this year and maintain the brokerage's reputation for fielding a star-studded line-up at its first major event under the ownership of China’s Citic Securities.
In one of his first performances since retiring from professional football Beckham will discuss with CLSA’s global head of research, and football fan, Edmund Bradley, his life in the beautiful game.
The former England captain has taken a special interest in promoting football in China, and was named Chinese soccer's global ambassador in March. However, a tour of the country this year was cut short after seven people were injured in Shanghai in a crush as fans scrambled to catch a glimpse of their hero.
Past keynote speakers at the conference have included Bill Clinton, George Clooney, Al Gore, Alan Greenspan, Henry Kissinger, Lee Kuan Yew, Sarah Palin and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Already one of England’s wealthiest soccer players, it was not immediately clear how much he will be paid for his appearance.
Beckham, who played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan and, briefly, Paris Saint-Germain, continues a sporting theme for CLSA. Last year the brokerage snagged former boxing heavyweight champion Mike Tyson as keynote speaker.
Hong Kong-based broker CLSA held its first conference in 1994, and the event has now become a fixture in the Hong Kong banking calendar.
In 2012, more than 1,750 CEOs and CFOs from 620 corporations attended CLSA Investor Forums to present to and meet with about 2,700 global institutional investors, while more than 5,800 one-on-one or group private meetings were held.
CLSA’s relationships with fund managers globally was a key reason why it attracted Citic Securities which completed the purchase of CLSA earlier this year for $1.25 billion.
This year’s conference will be held at the Grand Hyatt in Hong Kong on September 23 to 27.
