Paul Ark

Paul joined Gobi in 2020 as ESG Advisor based in Bangkok, spearheading ESG and sustainability initiatives in Gobi's operational and investment activities.

Paul spent the first half of his career as an investment banker, working on IPOs, acquisitions, and private equity deals for global banks Deutsche Bank and Citigroup in Asia and New York, as well as boutique advisors Tonson Capital and Blackwood Ventures in Southeast Asia. He then transitioned to the world of retail by joining Thailand’s retail conglomerate Central Group, working on regional joint ventures and working on the company’s market entry into China and other Asian markets. He spent several years facilitating Apple Retail’s market entry into Asian markets, opening flagship stores in China, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia, before joining Microsoft and advising on their China retail market entry strategy.

He recently completed a 4-year stint managing a US$100 million global corporate venture capital fund for Siam Commercial Bank’s Digital Ventures group, one of the largest fintech CVCs in Southeast Asia. In addition to his work in venture capital, Paul is an active philanthropist and passionate advocate for girls’ education. He is a co-founder and active board director of the Amazing Maasai Girls Project, a U.S.-based 501c3 non-profit organization that aims to fight child marriage by sending Maasai girls in Kenya to high school. Since its founding in 2011, the organization has raised over US$600,000 in scholarship funds and has sent over 100 girls to school.

He has a BS in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley, and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.