Leadership Transition at Warburg Pincus China, President Wei Zhen Steps Down

On December 4, Warburg Pincus officially announced that Wei Zhen will step down as the President of Warburg Pincus China. Fang Min and Zhou Lang will assume the roles of Co-Presidents of Private Equity Investments in China for Warburg Pincus. It is learned that Wei Zhen will continue to serve as the Managing Director of Warburg Pincus until the end of 2024 to ensure a smooth transition.

Fang Min and Zhou Lang joined Warburg Pincus in 2007 and 2005 respectively, both currently serving as Managing Directors for Warburg Pincus China. Fang Min is responsible for investments in healthcare, consumer goods, and the internet sectors in China. Prior to joining Warburg Pincus, Fang Min worked at Boston Consulting Group. Zhou Lang is responsible for investments in financial services, enterprise solutions, and industrial technology sectors in China. Before joining Warburg Pincus, Zhou Lang held positions at Citigroup’s Investment Banking Division in Hong Kong and Credit Suisse’s Investment Department in Toronto.

Meanwhile, in order to further expand its Asian business, Warburg Pincus announced the appointment of a new leadership team for the Asia region. The aim is to integrate the Asian private equity investment business into a unified management structure, ensuring consistency with the leadership structures in the Americas and Europe.

Vishal Mahadevia, who has been with Warburg Pincus for 17 years, was promoted to President of Warburg Pincus’ newly established Asian private equity investment division. He will also continue to serve as Co-Head of Global Financial Services at Warburg Pincus.

In July, 2023, as part of the succession plan for the next generation of leadership, Jeffrey Perlman, former President of Warburg Pincus Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific Real Estate Investments, was promoted to Global President of Warburg Pincus.

In India, Narendra Ostawal, who joined in 2007, will serve as the President of Warburg Pincus’ private equity investments. With Warburg Pincus’ further focus on cross-border business services and industrial sectors, Viraj Sawhney and Anish Saraf will also assume more important roles. They joined the company in 2005 and 2006 respectively.

In Singapore, Saurabh Agarwal, who joined in 2009, will be appointed as the President of Warburg Pincus’ private equity investments in Southeast Asia.

Additionally, Takashi Murata will join the company as the President of Warburg Pincus Japan at the beginning of 2024 to further expand its operations in Asia. He will also serve as Co-President of Warburg Pincus Asian Real Estate Investments alongside Kaiying Wu, a senior partner at Warburg Pincus.

Recently, Warburg Pincus successfully completed fundraising for its “Warburg Pincus Global Growth Fund XIV,” raising a total amount of $17.3 billion, the largest fundraising in the company’s nearly 60-year history.