COMPANY
About
Premier Partners
Founded in 2005, Premier Partners was established as Korea's first fund management firm operating under a Limited Liability Company (LLC) structure. Over the years, the Firm has grown to become one of Korea’s leading private equity and venture capital firms. Initially launched as a venture capital firm, Premier Partners expanded into private equity in 2010 and now operates three distinct divisions: Private Equity, Venture Capital, and Bio/Healthcare.
Comprised of partners with an average of 19years of investment experience, including two founders who have been working together at the same firm since 1997, Premier Partners has achieved successful investment outcomes through IPOs, M&As, and other strategic exits, leveraging extensive industry experience and expertise.
Since its inception, Premier Partners has managed a cumulative total of KRW 3.53 trillion in assets, ensuring strong alignment with stakeholders through GP commitment and a robust compliance framework.
AUM
Companies
(Gross)
investment strategy
Substantial industry experience
Support for growth
Small and Medium business center
HISTORY
Since establishing the first Blind Venture Fund (VF) in 2005 and commencing investments, we have formed 12 VFs and 7 Private Equity Funds (PEFs).
OUR PARTNERS
Premier Partners, leveraging its distinguished reputation, extensive investment expertise of its fund management team, and differentiated investment strategies, manages assets entrusted by a broad spectrum of prominent domestic and international institutional investors, including the National Pension Service of Korea.
Pension fund / mutual aid association
financial institution
general corporation
overseas
ESG
1. ESG Principles
· Premier Partners, LLC (hereinafter referred to as “the Company” or “we”) endeavors to promote the harmonious development of individuals, the environment, and society.
· The Company commits to adhering to environmental laws and agreements, fostering an environmentally conscious organizational culture, and promoting environmental awareness among employees.
· The Company upholds the human rights of its employees, prohibits discrimination, and improves individuals’ quality of life by offering fair compensation, stable employment, and a healthy workplace environment.
· The Company provides employees with opportunities for education, training, and skill development to enhance their personal capabilities and contribute to societal progress.
· The Company establishes internal guidelines for ethical and responsible conduct among employees in their interactions with each other and external stakeholders, such as business partners.
· Major management decisions undergo thorough discussion at the general meeting of employees, where the Company ensures transparent and comprehensive information for decision-making.
· The auditor conducts independent audit with unrestricted access to necessary information.
· The Company fulfills required legal disclosures promptly and comprehensibly.
2. ESG Investment principles
· The Company shall integrate financial and non-financial factors, such as environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria, into the investment target analysis and decision-making process. This integration aims to foster a healthy, sustainable society while also increasing investment returns.
· The Company shall engage in ESG investments by actively participating in dialogue, exercising shareholder rights, and addressing key issues related to the environment, social responsibility, and governance. These efforts seek to enhance the responsible management and long-term performance of portfolio companies.
· The Company shall strive to enhance the capabilities and expertise of its employees to support the implementation of ESG investments.
· The Company shall provide regular reports on the integration of ESG investments to the fund investors.
3. ESG Investment principles – Action plan
1) Investment target filtering
· We do not invest in companies engaged in socially harmful activities such as weapons manufacturing, alcohol production and supply, gambling facilities management and operation, etc.
· We do not invest in companies causing serious environmental damage.
2) Investment decision phase
· We utilize the ESG Checklist to assess the ESG status of target company.
· The ESG Committee determines the target company's eligibility for ESG investment based on the ESG checklist.
· The Investment Committee considers non-financial factors, including the results of the ESG Committee's investment eligibility review, alongside financial factors when making investment decisions. Non-financial factors may be applied differently based on individual circumstances such as the fund's management strategy, sector, and size of the target company.
3) Monitoring
· We periodically receive ESG-related information from portfolio companies to monitor ESG issues.
· Through dialogues and discussions, we propose and support initiatives to address ESG issues within portfolio companies. ESG factors are considered when exercising shareholder rights and expressing opinions to the board of directors.
4) Report
· A periodic report containing ESG factors is provided to the fund investors.
STEWARDSHIP CODE
Premier Partners LLC (hereinafter referred to as “Premier Partners” or “the Company”) hereby announces the implementation of the Premier Partners Stewardship Code, which contains policies on fiduciary responsibility based on the “Principles on the Responsibilities of Institutional Investors and Asset Managers” published by the Korea Corporate Governance Service, effective as of April 27, 2018.
Premier Partners, as an asset manager entrusted with assets from domestic and international pension funds, fund of funds, etc. (hereinafter referred to as “Investors”), establishes and manages venture capital associations and management-participation type private equity funds (collectively referred to as “funds”), and aims to fulfill the duties of a diligent manager and the responsibility as a trustee for the ultimate contribution to the long-term interests of asset owners and the advancement of the domestic capital market.
1. Institutional investors must establish and disclose clear policies to faithfully fulfill their responsibilities as trustees who manage and operate the assets of clients and beneficiaries.
As a responsible manager, Premier Partners will do its utmost to ensure that the investors in the funds it manages achieve the best interests. Furthermore, the Company has developed this Premier Partners Stewardship Code and is publicizing related policies in accordance with relevant laws, fund regulations, and agreements, in order to faithfully fulfill the trustee responsibilities granted to the Company.
The Company, as the trustee, promises to prioritize the interests of Investors above all else in its activities and shall manage its fund in such manner even in situations of potential conflicts of interest. To minimize the possibility of conflicting interests, Premier Partners has established internal regulations such as provisions regarding conflict-of-interest prevention and implemented a system corresponding to such matters, while also fostering a sense of professional ethics among its employees through consistent education of its members.
Premier Partners regularly conducts thorough examinations of the financial and non-financial status of investee companies and plays a role in enhancing their long-term value through continuous communication with management.
The Company strives to establish a consensus with investee companies while exercising voting rights on important matters based on final opinions derived from rigorous internal deliberations and also actively engaging in shareholder activities. Premier Partners adheres to the principle of regularly reporting such activities and post-management status to its Investors.
The Company is committed to acquiring the necessary capabilities and expertise for the effective fulfillment of trustee responsibilities.
2. Institutional investors must establish effective and clear policies on how to address actual or potential conflicts of interest that may arise during the fulfillment of their trustee responsibilities and disclose the details.
As a limited liability company, Premier Partners does not have external shareholders or separate related parties. Therefore, all of the Company’s operating personnel hold the Company’s shares with no external shareholders or other such separate stakeholders. This allows Premier Partners to have a shared interest in the success of the funds managed by the Company, and this alignment of interest ensures a healthy relationship between the Company and its Investors.
Furthermore, the Company has established internal control standards to prevent potential conflicts of interest that may arise during the fund’s operations and continuously monitors such possibilities under such standards. The Company also appoints a compliance officer responsible for overseeing the occurrence of such conflicts of interest and compliance with internal control standards to help prevent and minimize potential conflicts of interest between the Company and its Investors or among the funds managed by the Company.
In cases where the Company determines that conflicts of interest may arise in the operation of the funds, it shall provide prior notification and engage in discussions with the Investors to ensure that the interests of the Investors are not compromised, thereby committing to faithfully fulfilling the fiduciary duty entrusted to it by the Investors.
3. Institutional investors must regularly review the target companies to enhance their long-term value and preserve and increase the value of the investor's assets.
Premier Partners fosters the ongoing growth of the target companies by engaging in regular discussions with their management on key issues and receives financial and non-financial updates on a quarterly basis to allow for the preparation of reports for the Investors to assess the operational status of the target companies. The purpose of such periodic reviews is for the early identification of management issues and to respond promptly with appropriate measures, ultimately ensuring the sustainable growth and long-term enhancement of the target companies’ value.
As an asset management firm specializing in management participation funds, Premier Partners appoints its representatives to the boards of directors of the target companies to continually monitor their management situations. In cases involving buyout deals that entail the acquisition of management control, internal members of the Company actively participate in the management process to enhance the value of the target companies through financial restructuring, human resource reinforcement, and securing business networks. In cases of minority interest investments, the Company strives to ensure its opinions are appropriately reflected in the target companies’ management, while actively exercising the rights granted by the Commercial Act such as the shareholder’s right to proposal and the right to demand the convening of an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting when necessary.
4. Institutional investors must strive to establish mutual understanding with the target companies and, when necessary, develop internal guidelines regarding the timing, procedures, and methods for fulfilling fiduciary responsibilities.
Premier Partners seeks to establish trust through engagement with management and key personnel of the target companies, starting from the investment review stage. Furthermore, the Company focuses on activities that enhance the long-term value of the target companies through proactive post-investment management, aiming to build a deep understanding and mutual alignment.
In the process of active shareholder engagement, the Company shall comply with the regulations stipulated in the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act (hereinafter “Capital Market Act”), including the prohibition of using undisclosed material information and market manipulation practices. Premier Partners commits to adhering to such regulations and will not engage in unfair advantages of information or pursue illegitimate trading gains.
5. Institutional investors must establish and disclose their voting policies, including guidelines, procedures, and specific criteria, to ensure faithful exercise of voting rights, and disclose the detailed content and reasons for their voting decisions to enable an assessment of the appropriateness of the exercise of voting rights.
Premier Partners conducts a thorough internal review of shareholder meetings and pre-agreed matters of the target companies. The Company also exercises its voting rights in a manner that maximizes the interests of fund investors by putting together the information obtained through candid conversations and open discussions with the management of the target companies.
The voting decisions made by the Company are primarily based on independent decision-making derived from discussions among responsible investment managers and Premier Partners, without relying on external advisory services. The Company may utilize external advisory services on a limited basis as necessary in the future, depending on specific circumstances.
Premier Partners provides detailed reports on the exercising of its voting rights and the voting history to the fund’s investors through regular general meetings when requested by the Investors. As a private equity fund manager, the Company primarily invests in unlisted companies, and since most of the portfolio companies are not publicly traded, the Company does not disclose voting rights exercise details to the general public through its website.
6. Institutional investors are required to provide regular reports to their clients and beneficiaries regarding their exercise of voting rights and the fulfillment of fiduciary duties by the asset manager.
Premier Partners prepares quarterly reports on the status of the portfolio companies, post-investment management activities, and the fulfillment of fiduciary duties, which are then shared with the fund’s investors. These reports are incorporated into the ERP system to enhance reporting and internal management efficiency.
Additionally, semi-annual and annual general meetings are held for fund members and employees to provide operational reports on the portfolio companies and seek approval for the fund’s investment activities as a standard practice.
7. Institutional investors must possess the necessary capabilities and expertise to actively and effectively fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities.
Premier Partners, as a venture capital fund and a manager of management buyout funds, has partners that have an average of 20 years of experience in investing in small and medium-sized enterprises, venture capital, and growth-stage companies, and brings expertise in VC, growth-stage, and buyout investments.
Furthermore, the fund’s management team has diverse industry knowledge and networks based on their previous work experience in various sectors such as electronics, telecommunications, automotive, plant engineering, securities, medical devices, biotechnology, and strategic consulting at renowned domestic companies. The team includes in-house lawyers from prestigious law firms and accountants from reputable accounting firms, enabling a comprehensive assessment of financial, non-financial, and tax risks and ensuring legal compliance in investment decisions.
Premier Partners consistently supports the participation of its employees in professional development programs to maintain their capabilities and expertise in fulfilling fiduciary responsibilities. The Company regularly evaluates and monitors the competency and expertise of its staff to ensure their continued professional growth.
Responsible person
Cheongjo Hwang / Principal / Lawyer
TEL. 82.2.554.0030 / E-MAIL. cjhwang@premierpartners.co.kr
Person in charge
Tae woong Kwon / Director
TEL. 82.2.554.6139 / E-MAIL. twkwon@premierpartners.co.kr
Responsible person
Cheongjo Hwang / Principal
TEL. 82.2.554.0030
E-MAIL. cjhwang@premierpartners.co.kr
Person in charge
Tae woong Kwon / Director
TEL. 82.2.554.6139
E-MAIL. twkwon@premierpartners.co.kr
