Early Life and Education
Melissa Ma's journey began with a strong foundation in academics. She holds an A.B. in Economics and East Asian Studies, magna cum laude, from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese. Her education and proficiency in Mandarin laid the groundwork for her future career focus on Asia.
Rise to Success
Ma's career started with roles at Goldman Sachs in the Financial Institutions Group and McKinsey & Co. in both the Hong Kong and San Francisco offices. From 1995-2000, she worked in McKinsey's Hong Kong office in the Corporate Finance Practice and the Financial Institutions Practice. Her experience included helping manage investor relationships and fundraising activities at Hellman & Friedman. In 2003, she went in-house at Hellman & Friedman. In 2004, she co-founded Asia Alternatives, where she currently serves as Co-Founder and Managing Partner.
Key Business Strategies
Asia Alternatives, under Ma's leadership, focuses on private equity fund-of-funds in Asia. The firm's strategy involves deep expertise in the Asian market and a commitment to long-term investment. Ma co-leads investments in secondaries, buyouts, and direct co-investments. She also oversees investor relations, asset allocation, and investment strategy and process.
Philanthropy
Melissa Ma's philanthropic efforts include a significant donation of $14.6 million to the China University of Science and Technology's School of Gifted Young. She also established the USTC Rose Development Fund.
