Morgan Stanley stalwart Cho bows out after over 10 years at the helm   

The head of Morgan Stanley’s Seoul office is stepping down after overseeing a series of landmark deals over more than a decade, according to sources in the investment banking industry on Wednesday.

Cho Sang-wook, head of the Investment Banking division of Morgan Stanley in South Korea, is said to have tendered his resignation after nearly 20 years with the firm, marking the end of a pivotal leadership chapter.

The reason for his departure has not been disclosed, but he is rumored to be in line for a leadership role at a global private equity firm.

Cho declined to comment on either his resignation or future plans when contacted by The Korea Economic Daily.

He joined Morgan Stanley’s Seoul office from now-defunct Lehman Brothers in New York in 2005 and began leading the Korean operations as co-chief in 2012.

Since 2018, he has headed the US investment bank’s Seoul office as sole chief.  

A veteran executive with nearly two decades at Morgan Stanley, Cho has orchestrated multiple high-profile deals in Korea, including the sale of Korea’s Oriental Brewery Co. by KKR & Co. and Affinity Equity Partners; The Carlyle Group’s divestiture of ADT Caps; and the sale of eBay Korea.

The US bank also led Korea’s largest-ever initial public offering of LG Energy Solution Ltd. under Cho’s leadership in 2022.

Born in 1968, Cho graduated from Korea University in Seoul and earned an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business.

Write to Eun-kyung Song at norae@hankyung.com
Sookyung Seo edited this article.