Actis names Scott Choi as its first Korean partner

Private equity firm Actis LLP has promoted its Seoul office Chief Executive Scott Choi as a partner, the company said on March 7. Choi is the first South Korean partner of the UK investment firm and is one among six global partners promoted this month.

Choi has 18 years of experience in investing across property types and risk strategies with a particularly strong focus on managing development opportunities in Korea. He joined Actis Asia Real Estate team in 2018 following the acquisition of Standard Chartered Bank’s Principal Finance Real Estate group (PFRE). 

Choi started his career as an analyst with KPMG FAS Korea where he conducted valuation and feasibility studies on various types of asset classes for three years. Then, he joined Mirae Asset Global Investments, the largest asset management company in Korea, where he was responsible for the acquisition, development and disposition of commercial real estate for four years.

He then joined Standard Chartered Principal Finance team in 2010 during which he made successful investments in and operated various real estate asset classes including office, logistics, hotel and retail.

Since he joined Actis, Choi and his team have been focusing on data center development and established a strong position as a leading investor in the Korean market. In September 2020, Actis took a 75% stake in a new joint venture with GS Engineering & Construction Co., a Korean construction conglomerate. The two parties agreed to build and operate a 21-megawatt internet data center in Anyang, a city in the Greater Seoul area, with a development cost of $315 million. The eight-story facility is under construction by GS E&C.

In July 2021, Actis closed a partnership with Korean data center advisor ADIK to strengthen the investment firm's internet data center capabilities. 

Actis was founded in 2004 as a spinoff from CDC Group plc, the UK's development finance institution and formerly known as the Commonwealth Development Corporation. Actis has raised $24 billion to invest in private equity, real estate, infrastructure and others.

Write to Chang Jae Yoo at yoocool@hankyung.com
Jihyun Kim edited this article.