News Releases

Hong Kong – Barclays Capital has appointed Alan Hirakawa as Managing Director & Head of Leveraged Finance, Asia Pacific, responsible for the firm’s relationships with private equity clients in the region and for the delivery of the firm’s leveraged finance product suite to its corporate client base.

Hirakawa, a 12-year veteran of syndicated loans and leveraged finance in the region, previously worked at Citigroup where he was Managing Director, Asian Leveraged Finance.  Hirakawa worked at Citigroup since 1995. 

``Alan has an enviable track record in leveraged finance, having structured and closed transactions in each of Asia’s major leveraged finance markets. He is well known and has worked very successfully with a number of Barclays Capital’s major clients,” said Darcy Lai, Barclays Capital’s Head of Investment Banking and Debt Capital Markets in Asia. ``The firm has met with considerable success recently, particularly in Australia and New Zealand, and Alan’s arrival will consolidate that and help the firm extend its reach across the region.’’

Based in Hong Kong, Hirakawa will report jointly to Lai and to John Kelting, Head of European Leveraged Finance, based in London, reflecting the close interaction between the Asian and European teams and the ongoing focus on delivering the firm’s award-winning leveraged finance product suite (comprising senior debt, second lien, mezzanine, high yield and public and private PIK debt) to its clients in Asia Pacific.

Barclays Capital has won a number of notable leveraged finance mandates in recent months, acting as lead arranger, underwriter and bookrunner on the debt packages supporting the buyouts of APN News & Media, Independent Liquor, Repco Corporation and New Zealand’s Yellow Pages.  

Hirakawa’s appointment is the latest in a number of initiatives designed to augment the firm’s leveraged finance product offering to both its private equity and corporate clients. These include the recent strengthening of both the Leveraged Finance team in Sydney, with the hire of Raj Bhat from Westpac, and the Bond Syndicate desk in Singapore with the arrival of Robin Rheaume from Credit Suisse.

In addition, bond structuring and origination for high yield issuance has been reorganised under the leadership of Hong Kong based Joseph Choi. Taken together with the firm’s existing leveraged loans and mezzanine platform, these initiatives are designed to ensure that a comprehensive product suite is made available to the firm’s clients and builds on the firm’s product agnostic approach to providing optimal financing solutions to clients.

Hirakawa will replace Alan Turner who returns to London later this month to join the European Corporate Leveraged Finance team.

For further information, please contact:
Paul Scanlon, Barclays Capital Communications 
Tel +852 2903 2305

Notes to editors:

Notes to editors:

About Barclays Capital

Barclays Capital is the investment banking division of Barclays Bank PLC which has an AA long-term credit rating and a balance sheet of over £996 billion. With a distinctive business model, Barclays Capital provides large corporate, government and institutional clients with solutions to their financing and risk management needs.  Barclays Capital has offices in 26 countries, employs over 13,200 people and has the global reach and distribution power to meet the needs of issuers and investors worldwide.

Barclays Capital - the investment banking division of Barclays Bank PLC. Registered in England 1026167. Registered office 1 Churchill Place, London, E14 5HP. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority and a member of the London Stock Exchange.