Team
Senior Management
Itamar Har-Even
Michael Joseph
Ady Adefris
Itamar Har-Even
Itamar Har-Even is the Co-Founder and current Co-CEO of Ion Pacific. Based on the west coast of the US, Itamar is a member of the investment committee and spearheads the firm’s growth in North America and Asia.
Before founding Ion Pacific, Itamar was a Managing Director and founding Co-Head of Investment and Merchant Banking at Reorient Group, the Hong Kong listed financial institution that was sold to Jack Ma (Alibaba) and associated entities in 2015. While there, Itamar worked on groundbreaking international investments and transactions involving technology- and brand-driven businesses. In his role on the investment and management committees, Itamar led strategic acquisitions for the firm to both drive returns and enhance its position in the region.
Previously, Itamar had a successful career in media, technology and investing. He began his finance career on the Technology, Telecom and Media team at Lehman Brothers in New York. As a founding member of Lehman Brothers’ Principal Origination Group in Asia in 2007, his responsibilities included origination, analysis and investment on a pipeline of more than 250 prospective deals, and he worked on 13 completed deals accounting for USD 1 billion of proprietary capital invested. He was part of the Industrials Investment Banking Group at Nomura Hong Kong, which he joined as a result of Nomura’s purchase of Lehman Brothers Asia in 2008. Before entering the world of investing, Itamar was a creative executive and content creator at technology and media firms in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Itamar holds a BA with honors from Amherst College and an MBA with honors from Columbia Business School.
Michael Joseph
Michael Joseph is the Co-Founder and current Co-CEO of Ion Pacific. He is a member of the investment committee and spearheads the firm’s growth in Europe and Asia.
Before founding Ion Pacific, Michael was a Managing Director and founding Co-Head of Investment and Merchant Banking at Reorient Group. the Hong Kong listed financial institution that was sold to Jack Ma (Alibaba) and associated entities in 2015. While there, Michael worked on several groundbreaking international transactions across multiple industries. In his role on the investment and management committees, Michael led strategic acquisitions for the firm to both drive returns and enhance its position in the region.
Previously, Michael was a successful hedge fund investor, with more than 20 years of experience investing across sectors and asset classes. His most recent hedge fund role was as a senior member of the investment team at Och-Ziff in Hong Kong.
Michael first moved to Hong Kong as a Managing Director and a Responsible Officer overseeing Balyasny Asset Management’s expansion into Asia. Previously, he had been a portfolio manager at Balyasny in New York City. Earlier in his career, Michael was a founding member of the global industrial team at hedge fund George Weiss Associates. Michael began his career at Pequot Capital.
Michael holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Ady Adefris
Ady joined Ion Pacific as a founding member in 2015 and serves as the firm’s Chief Operating Officer. In this role, Ady oversees the operations of Ion Pacific and is responsible for the day-to-day leadership of the company.
Prior to joining the company, Ady was a U.S. securities and capital markets lawyer at Ashurst Hong Kong and before that he was a member of the Banking, Capital Markets and Restructuring Group at White & Case Hong Kong advising on numerous transactions in the Asia-Pacific region. Ady has practiced law for over a decade in New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong.
Ady received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and his juris doctorate from Georgetown University. He also has a Masters of Arts degree from the University of Amsterdam.
Deal Origination & Execution
Kristaps Ronis
Kevin Henderson
Jonathan Chia
Katie Young
Fabio Furlani
Henry Fung
Kristaps Ronis
Kristaps is a Partner at Ion Pacific and has been with the company since its establishment in 2015. In his current role, Kristaps is responsible for deal origination and execution, and is a voting member of a number of investment committees. In 2013 interned under Michael and Itamar at Reorient Group in Hong Kong, as part of the company’s investment banking team. While at Reorient, Kristaps worked on the USD 800 million sale of House of Fraser department stores to Sanpower Group, as well as several high-profile equity raises for natural resources companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.
Before that, Kristaps was a founding member of Dukascopy Bank’s research team in Riga, Latvia, focusing on foreign- exchange market analysis for retail investors.
Kristaps holds a Master’s degree in Quantitative Finance from Peking University and a Bachelor’s degree in European Business Studies from Riga International School of Economics and Business Administration. He is an ACCA-qualified accountant.
Kevin Henderson
Kevin is a Partner at Ion Pacific, based in New York, and joined the firm in 2017. Kevin is responsible for deal origination and execution, and is a voting member of a number of investment committees. Previously, he was an Associate in the Global Power, Energy and Infrastructure Investment Banking Group at Lazard in New York, where he worked on numerous merger and acquisition transactions and advised clients on a range of financial and strategic issues.
Previously, Kevin worked in Canada in a corporate finance role at Enbridge Inc., where he was responsible for executing numerous financing transactions. During his time at Enbridge, he worked across the finance function, including treasury, corporate planning and investor relations.
Kevin holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from Queen’s University in Canada and a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School. He is a CFA charterholder.
Jonathan Chia
Jonathan is a Principal at Ion Pacific, based in Hong Kong, and joined the firm in 2019. Jonathan is responsible for deal origination and execution, with a focus in Southeast Asia.
Previously, Jonathan was an Associate at Bravia Capital in New York, where he worked on several cross-border M&A transactions in the transportation and logistics space. He advised on and co-invested alongside Asian investors on acquisitions in the West worth more than USD 14 billion.
Before that, Jonathan was an associate at Deloitte Financial Advisory Services in New York, where he advised North American clients across a range of industries on M&A.
Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and is a CFA charterholder.
Katie Young
Katie is an Associate at Ion Pacific, based in Los Angeles, where as a member of the investment team she contributes to the analysis and execution of our investments.
Prior to joining the firm in 2023, Katie was an investment banker at CIBC and EF Hutton, where she worked with a number of technology, telecom and consumer companies.
Katie holds an Honours degree in Business Administration from the Ivey School of Business at Western University in Canada.
Fabio Furlani
Fabio is an Analyst on the investment team and joined the firm in 2023. In his role, he contributes to the analysis and execution of our investments. Prior to joining the firm, Fabio was an Analyst at Generali Investments in the firm’s Liability-Driven Investment division. He began his career at KPMG Advisory, covering the Financial Services Industry.
Fabio is based in our Switzerland office. He holds a Master in Corporate Finance degree from Bocconi University, a Master of Science with honors in Accounting and Finance from the University of Trieste, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
Henry Fung
Henry is an Analyst at Ion Pacific, based in Hong Kong, and joined the firm in 2024. In his role, he contributes to the analysis and execution of our investments. Prior to joining Ion Pacific, Henry worked as part of the founding team at PwC’s Ventures division, where he played a key role in advising growth-stage tech startups on strategy, operations, and fundraising. Henry holds an MA in Economics with Finance from the University of Edinburgh and is an ACCA candidate
Investor Relations
Antoine Autain
Jeff Sheran
Antoine Autain
Antoine joined Ion Pacific in 2021 to lead the firm’s investor relations efforts internationally. He is based in London.
Previously, Antoine spent four years as a Vice President at Oaktree Capital Management, responsible for its relationships with family offices and other wealth intermediaries, including banks and asset managers, in European markets. Prior to that, Antoine spent eight years at Jupiter Fund Management, latterly as a senior distribution business manager. Antoine also enabled the expansion of Jupiter’s distribution in EMEA regions supporting wholesale and institutional channels.
Antoine holds an M.Sc. in International Management from Audencia Nantes École de Management and is a native French speaker.
Jeff Sheran
Jeff joined Ion Pacific in 2023 to lead the firm’s investor relations efforts in North America. Based in New York, Jeff previously spent 22 years at Allianz Global Investors, where he interfaced with clients across various channels and represented both alternative and traditional asset classes.
Most recently, Jeff headed investor relations for one of Allianz’s US alternative asset management platforms. Before that, he led the US institutional sales and consultant relations teams at Allianz Global Investors Capital, and previously served as the director of marketing at affiliate Oppenheimer Capital. Earlier in his career, Jeff was a financial journalist.
Jeff holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business. He is a CFA charterholder.
Middle & Back Office
Lailo Hung
Michael Chang
Daisy Cai
Wei Yuan Ng
Shawna Sham
Minnie Leung
Lailo Hung
Lailo is Ion Pacific’s Head of Finance and Fund Operations, and leads the finance and administration functions. She also oversees the firm’s relationships with external service providers, including auditors, fund administrators and accountants. Lailo has more than 10 years of experience as an operations executive. Prior to joining Ion Pacific, she was an Associate at JP Morgan Chase, where she served as the intermediary between external clients and internal teams. Previously, Lailo spent 8 years at the Bank of New York Mellon as an Assistant Manager based in Manchester, UK, overseeing financial reporting, distribution and quarterly, interim and annual financial reporting.
Lailo holds an undergraduate degree from Queen Mary University of London, and is a qualified accountant
Michael Chang
Michael is responsible for legal and compliance at Ion Pacific and is also involved in operational matters. He also assists the execution team on deal execution.
Before joining Ion Pacific, Michael was general counsel for companies focused on infrastructure development, and in the oil and gas industries where he handled business organization, structured strategic partnerships, and managed general corporate matters. Previously, Michael co-founded and launched a tech company that provided online restaurant reservations. Prior to that, he was in corporate practice in intellectual property and complex litigation.
Michael holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley, and a juris doctorate from Loyola Law School.
Daisy Cai
Daisy is the Finance and Fund Operations Manager at Ion Pacific and joined the firm in 2023. Based in Hong Kong, she handles fund financial reporting and execution of daily fund operations. Prior to joining Ion Pacific, she was a senior fund accountant at Alter Domus, where she provided central administration services to a variety of private equity funds. Previously, Daisy spent three years at Ernst & Young and PwC Hong Kong as an external auditor for listed companies, asset management companies and mutual funds.
Daisy holds a Master of Accountancy degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and is a Chartered Certified Accountant.
Wei Yuan Ng
Wei is a Finance and Fund Operations Officer at Ion Pacific and joined the firm in 2022. Based in Hong Kong, he focuses on the finance and administration functions, working closely with external service providers including auditors, fund administrators and tax advisors. Prior to joining Ion Pacific, Wei was a private equity fund accountant at Langham Hall, where he prepared financial statements and carried out administrative procedures for private equity funds.
Wei holds a BA (Honors) in Accounting and Finance from the University of Kent and is a part qualified accountant.
Shawna Sham
Shawna is Assistant Finance Manager at Ion Pacific and joined the firm in 2024. Based in Hong Kong, she focuses on the finance and administration functions, working closely with external service providers including auditors, fund administrators and tax advisors. Prior to joining Ion Pacific, Shawna was a finance associate at Bain Capital and Nord Anglia Education. Prior to becoming a Certified Public Accountant, she worked as a chemist after graduating from the University of Waterloo (Canada) with a degree in biochemistry.
Minnie Leung
Minnie is an Executive Assistant at Ion Pacific and joined the firm in 2017. Based in North America, she provides administrative support to senior management and the investor relations team. Prior to joining Ion Pacific, Minnie held similar positions at other private equity firms, after previously working in the hospitality industry in London and Hong Kong for Langham Hospitality Group.
Minnie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality and Marketing from Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland as well as a Master of Business Administration from University of Chichester in the UK.
Venture Partner
Special Advisor
Roy Lam
John Tsang
Roy Lam
Roy joined Ion Pacific’s Hong Kong office as Venture Partner in 2021 to bolster the team’s capital raising and deal origination capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region. Roy is a serial entrepreneur and brings more than 13 years of experience in corporate finance, equity / equity-linked capital markets and investor relations.
Previously with Deutsche Bank and HSBC, Roy played leading roles in numerous high profile Asia ex-Japan IPO’s, private equity exits, M&A financing and corporate restructuring transactions across multiple industries including consumer, FIG, TMT, infrastructure and real estate.
Roy holds a BA Hon degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University.
John Tsang
John Tsang is a Special Advisor to Ion Pacific and serves as Vice Chairman of the firm’s Hong Kong business.
Born in Hong Kong and raised in the U.S., Mr. Tsang was the longest-serving financial secretary in the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong to date. Throughout his tenure, he was an outspoken advocate of developing Hong Kong into a major hub for startups. In 2016, there were 1,600 startups based in Hong Kong, a 50 percent increase from two years earlier. He presided over a $560 million expansion of the Hong Kong Science Park to provide more space and facilities for startups, as well as the launch of a $260 million Innovation & Technology Venture Fund, in partnership with venture capital funds.
Financial technology was also an area of significant focus for Mr. Tsang. In October 2016, the Hong Kong government’s Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, in partnership with HSBC, launched the HSBC-ASTRI Research and Development Innovation Laboratory (RDI Lab) with a goal of encouraging research and technology implementation in the financial services industry. By the close of 2016, there were a dozen fintech institutions, innovation labs, incubators and accelerator programs underway in Hong Kong, including labs started by Accenture, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, and Wearable World Labs from San Francisco.
In 2015, Mr. Tsang’s alma mater, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, launched an “Innovation Node” in Hong Kong, which aims to connect the MIT community with resources including advanced manufacturing capabilities in Hong Kong and the neighboring Pearl River Delta.
