RHB Investment Bank appoints new regional head of mergers and acquisitions

KUCHING: RHB Investment Bank Bhd (RHB Investment Bank) announces the appointment of Harris Ishak as its Regional Head of Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), effective January 5, 2022.

Harris is a seasoned banker with close to 20 years of experience in Investment Banking where he had taken the lead on a wide range of prominent corporate exercises within Malaysia, notably in the areas of M&A, client coverage, and advisory services.

Prior to joining RHB Investment Bank, Harris was at CIMB Investment Bank for over 14 years and had played an instrumental role as head of M&A having spent the past seven years in setting up and growing its M&A unit.

He led some of Malaysia's prominent deals including the RM5.2 billion privatisation of KFC by Johor Corporation (JCorp), Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and CVC Capital Partners, the RM10 billion merger of UEM Land Bhd and Sunrise Bhd, and RM600 million sale of Pos Malaysia Bhd by Khazanah Nasional Bhd.

Prior to that, he was part of KPMG London's M&A and advisory practice, focusing on cross border deals across Europe for financial sponsors including TPG Capital, CVC Capital Partners and Cinven.

“The volume of M&A targeting companies in Southeast Asia soared to a record US$101.8 billion last year,” RHB Investment Bank managing director Ganesh Sabaratnam said.

“This is set to become even more active as we recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, where industry players are looking towards rationalisation and consolidation to strengthen balance sheets and drive growth.

“We expect M&A activities to be robust in 2022 with high level of activities from private equity firms and divestment or restructuring exercises.

“On top of this, cash rich companies and companies with strong financial positions may also be looking at investment opportunities on the back of attractive valuation.

“With this positive outlook, it is timely that Harris will be leading the augmenting and building of RHB Investment Bank's footprint in Asean and his appointment will further strengthen our M&A advisory capabilities as the economic recovery accelerates post the Covid-19 pandemic.

“His vast experience and indepth knowledge in both capital markets and M&A advisory will help drive our regional platform, providing our clients with the right solutions to meet their strategic M&A initiatives both locally and regionally.”

Ishak holds a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Finance from Lancaster University in United Kingdom as well as a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.