Ares Management names James Garforth principal for Asia direct lending

Ares Management Corp., a global alternative investment manager, has appointed James Garforth as principal in its Asia direct lending business, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters. Garforth will be based in Hong Kong and report to Peter Graf, partner and head of Asia direct lending at Ares.

Garforth joins Ares from BGH Capital in Melbourne, where he had led the firm's capital markets business since 2023. Prior to BGH, Garforth worked at KKR Capital Markets in Sydney. He also spent nearly a decade at Credit Suisse in leveraged finance and financial sponsors roles in New York and Sydney. Garforth holds a bachelor's degree in finance and economics from the University of Queensland. A company spokesman confirmed the details.