James Chern

Managing Partner & CIO at Seraya Partners

Speaker

James Chern serves as the Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer (CIO) at Seraya Partners, overseeing the firm's investment strategy and vision. In this role, he plays a pivotal part in shaping the investment thesis and guiding the investment team's focus areas.

Before joining Seraya Partners, James held significant roles at I Squared Capital, a global infrastructure fund manager, from 2012 to 2020. During his tenure, he served as the Head of Asia, Managing Director, and Investment Committee member, and was a founding member of the organization. James was instrumental in founding and leading the Asia business, contributing to the fund's impressive US$40 billion in assets under management (AUM). As Chairman of portfolio companies in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, and Southeast Asia, he covered diverse sectors such as solar and wind energy, water treatment, LNG gas, data centers, telecom, and waste-to-energy.

Prior to his time at I Squared Capital, from 2006 to 2012, James worked at Morgan Stanley investment bank in Hong Kong. Beginning as an M&A banker, he later assumed the role of Head of China for Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners, a US$4 billion global infrastructure fund under Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM) and Merchant Banking Group. In this capacity, he focused on investments in China and India's renewable energy and transport sectors, contributing to the fund's global review committee.

James holds an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University. He has shared his expertise as a guest speaker at institutions such as the National University of Singapore (NUS), the School of Engineering, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Business School. Currently, he serves as a Board Member of Hwa Chong Institution.