CDIB Capital International (Hong Kong)

Investment decisions are led by Chairman and CEO Lionel de Saint-Exupéry, who has helmed the firm since its founding in 2006. The investment team operates with significant autonomy under a mandate set by the Ko family, the beneficial owners whose wealth originates from Taiwan's China Development Financial Holding Corporation. Final authority on commitments rests with the firm's investment committee.

CDIB Capital International was created as the direct-investment platform for the Ko family, the controlling shareholders behind China Development Financial Holding Corporation (CDF). CDF is a Taiwan-listed financial conglomerate spanning banking, securities, and insurance. CDIB operates independently from CDF's own investment activities, deploying family rather than institutional capital, though the historical brand connection reflects the shared ownership lineage.

CDIB Capital operates primarily as a single-family office deploying the Ko family's proprietary capital. However, the firm has selectively brought in co-investors — typically other Asian family offices and regional private equity funds — on larger transactions where additional scale or syndication benefits the consortium. It does not raise blind-pool funds from external limited partners.

The firm concentrates on Greater China, with investment activity spanning mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Sector priorities include consumer and retail, healthcare services, advanced manufacturing, and financial services. The strategy targets mid-market companies with defensible market positions, strong cash flows, and identifiable growth levers tied to China's domestic consumption and industrial upgrading trends.

CDIB typically invests as a minority or majority equity holder with board representation, aiming for holding periods of five to ten years. The firm prefers situations where its capital and operational support can accelerate a company's growth trajectory, often supporting professionalization, brand development, and geographic expansion within Greater China. The patient posture reflects permanent-family-capital economics rather than fund-lifecycle constraints.