HONG KONG, March 29, 2018 — The Asia Society board of trustees announced today at its spring meeting in Hong Kong the election of Mohit "Mo" Assomull and George G. Hicks as new members. Their appointments are effective on March 29, 2018. Both have a wealth of experience on Asia and the issues driving the U.S.-Asia relationship as well as a strong commitment to Asia Society and its programs.

"Mo Assomull has spent over a decade at Morgan Stanley, including extensive engagement with India and Japan," said Josette Sheeran, Lulu and Anthony Wang President and CEO of Asia Society. "His background and expertise, combined with his prior involvement with Asia Society, will be an asset as we expand our work in Asia."

“George Hicks has led his firm’s expansion into the Asia Pacific, connecting their headquarters in Minnesota to Asia,” said Sheeran. “His depth of experience in building platforms across cultures and throughout Asia to strengthen global networks is essential as Asia Society continues to strengthen and scale our own global network.”

Biographies of the new Trustees follow.

Mohit "Mo" Assomull

Mo Assomull is Head of Global Capital Markets at Morgan Stanley, based in New York. He is a member of the Firm Management Committee and Securities Operating Committee.

Mo joined Morgan Stanley in 1996 and has held capital markets and investment banking positions in Asia, Europe and the United States.

Prior to assuming his current post in 2015, Mo served as the Co-Chief Operating Officer of the Institutional Securities Group, working across the Firm’s Institutional and Wealth businesses, and prior to that as the Global Head of Equity Syndicate. His transaction experience includes IPO, common stock, convertible and private equity offerings for a broad range of US and International issuers.

Mo graduated from Tufts University with a B.A. in Economics. He is on the boards of the India Center Foundation and the NYCCHP, which provides extracurricular activities for children living in New York City homeless shelters, as well as the Advisory Board of Children’s Hope India.

George G. Hicks

George Hicks is Chief Executive Officer of Värde Partners. He is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. Based in Minneapolis, George co-founded the firm in 1993.

As a founder, George was an original architect of the firm’s investment thesis and philosophy and has helped guide the application of those principles to an ever-changing, growing and dynamic investing environment. He has presided over the growth of the firm, overseeing its transition from a start-up to a global enterprise with the infrastructure required to support offices around the globe and a diverse investor base. George played a central role in developing the mandates and raising the capital for Värde’s funds. He has served as a lead creditor in a number of corporate restructurings and has served on the boards of a number of the portfolio companies owned by the Värde funds.

Prior to founding Värde, George served as senior vice president of Cargill Financial, the financial services subsidiary of Cargill, where he helped build and manage the company’s worldwide merchant banking department. A lawyer by training, George also served as counsel in the Cargill legal department.

George graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College, Minnesota with a B.A. in Economics and History, and received his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School.