Ex-CP Eaton vet Greene launches Diamond Dragon

Ed Greene, the former CP Eaton professional who led the firm into Asia, has set up his own business aimed at providing advice to alternative asset managers and investors in the region.

Diamond Dragon Advisors will provide fund placement services as well as GP advisory services to firms in the real estate, private equity, real assets and hedge fund sectors.

Greene, who launched CP Eaton in Asia in 2007, has formed the business with nine staff and has established a headquarters office in Hong Kong and a second office in Shanghai. A third office is currently in the throes of opening in Sydney.

To help him lead the business, Greene has appointed Dennis Montecillo as chief executive officer and senior managing director. Montecillo was formerly chief executive officer of Fidelis Holdings Limited, a Hong Kong-based regional investment firm and part of the Ayala Group. He also used to work in the investment banking division of Morgan Stanley.

The firm has also hired Linda Lee as chief financial officer and managing director from Capital Today, an independent private equity firm in China which she founded. In addition, Joan Tan has joined from New Access Capital to head the Shanghai office. She previously worked with American Express, JP Morgan and Paine Webber. Alex Edwards has joined from CP Eaton and will head up Diamond Dragon’s Sydney office.

The firm will provide capital raising services and will operate a “GP advisory function providing customised fundraising preparatory services” aimed at enabling fund managers to raise global institutional capital in particular.

It is part of a global alliance of regional fund placement firms which includes Threadmark in Europe and Madison Williams Private Capital Solutions in North America.

Greene said the firm would plug “a real void in Asia”. He said: “As the Asia alternative eco-system has grown the need for an Asia-dedicated professional capital raising firm became evident.”

“We are fully aligned with the region and its needs. With the growth of both Asian GPs and LPs, including foreign LPs opening offices in Asia, Diamond Dragon Advisors will serve them as a value-add resource while being at the vortex of institutional capital flows into alternative assets in Asia.”