Prior to joining Kroll, Lester was the COO of Blackpanda Ltd., a boutique Asian digital forensics and incident response company. In this role, he managed operations, administration and finance matters for the group’s cyber security incident response services provider and its insurtech subsidiary.
Previously, he was also a director in Hill & Associates Ltd., an Asia-based risk consulting firm owned by G4S, where he led business development for engagements in complex fraud, corruption and intellectual property (IP) investigations; transaction, investigative and reputational due diligence; fraud risk and ethics client assessments, consulting and training; anti-money laundering (AML) and compliance reviews; security risk; business continuity; and cyber security.
Lester started his career in investment banking with Banque Indosuez in 1990 in Paris, followed by a stint with the bank in London. In his role as Deputy Head of Equity Capital Markets at Peregrine Capital Ltd. in Hong Kong, he was involved in some of Asia’s largest primary equity offerings. Thereafter, he joined Lafarge SA as Regional Head of Strategy in Singapore, where he was involved in the acquisition and subsequent operational integration of distressed assets throughout Asia. He then relocated to Paris, where he managed third-party financial investors across Lafarge’s emerging markets footprint.
In Hong Kong, Lester has also worked with GE Capital Services, where he was a part of GE Equity’s proprietary private equity team, making investments throughout Asia. A prior position included working as a headhunter at a boutique executive search firm, where he was responsible for developing the investment banking, capital markets, wealth management and corporate governance practices. He was additionally a co-founder at RimAsiaCapital Partners LLP, Hong Kong-based private equity firm, where he led transaction teams and investment activities in multiple sectors, including natural resources, life sciences, semiconductors, media and pharmaceuticals.
Lester has authored an article titled, “Law firms in Asia at High Risk of Cyberattacks,” which was published on Law.com.
He holds a B.Sc. (Honors) in chemistry from King’s College, University of London. He also holds an M.Sc. in finance from Imperial College, University of London.
