We started this firm because the market forgot the middle.
A Generation Built These Companies. Almost Nobody is Helping Them Hand Them Over.
Why We Exist
Malaysia is home to thousands of fundamentally strong, quietly successful businesses. Family-run manufacturers. Second-generation distributors. Founder-led service companies. They employ thousands, contribute to the economy, pay taxes, and have compounded value over decades.
Yet, when it is time to transition, these enterprises often lack access to institutional-grade advisory support.
The banks will not take them because the fees are too small. Generalist advisory firms will sell them an audit and a valuation report, but rarely execute a comprehensive process. That leaves business owners relying on informal brokers and part-time intermediaries, who will introduce a buyer and step-away.
As a result, founders often navigate the most critical financial transaction of their lives alone, sitting across the table from seasoned, professional acquirers.
We believe this is a structural imbalance, and one that we are here to fix.
A business that took thirty years to build can quietly wind down in five.
The succession clock. The visionaries who built Malaysia’s backbone in the 1980s and 1990s are reaching retirement. Often, the next generation has established their lives elsewhere or in different industries. Without a structured succession plan, a business that took thirty years to build can quietly wind down in five—not due to failure, but a lack of handover strategy.
Selling is not the only answer. Sometimes the answer is a minority investor, a management buyout, growth capital, or simply getting the business ready and waiting three more years. But an owner cannot choose between options they do not know exist.
Our job is to put those options on the table, and then help the owner act on the one they choose.
Our Team
Loh Chee Keen
Founder & CEO
Chee Keen leads CKS Advisory, overseeing firm strategy, mandate execution, and client relationships. He brings over eight years of private equity and sell-side advisory experience across Southeast Asia (SEA), specializing in mid-market M&A, business succession, and growth capital structuring.
Prior to founding CKS Advisory, Chee Keen was with a regional private equity firm managing US$3 billion in AUM, where he was actively involved in executing over US$250 million in cross-border transactions. He also serves on the management team in a Securities Commission-licensed Private Equity Management Company (PEMC).
Chee Keen holds a Bachelor of Economics from University of Malaya.
cheekeen@cksadvisory.com
Lim Kian Thong (Ian)
Senior Associate
Ian is a Senior Associate at CKS Advisory, supporting sell-side and cross-border M&A execution.
He brings over six years of M&A and corporate finance experience across Southeast Asia and the United States, spanning deal origination, financial modelling and valuation, information memorandum preparation, and end-to-end execution through due diligence, negotiation, and closing.
His experience covers cross-border M&A and US OTC IPOs, advising founder-led businesses through listing alongside sell-side and acquisition mandates. Sector coverage spans Retail, F&B, FMCG, Manufacturing, ICT, Beauty & Personal Care, Semiconductorsand others.
He holds a Bachelor of Business and Commerce from Monash University Malaysia (Accounting, Banking & Finance).
ianlim@cksadvisory.com
Heng Zi Yin (Tiffany)
Analyst
Finance professional with experience in financial analysis, valuation, and investment research across public and private markets. Previously an Equity Analyst at a regional asset manager, where she conducted company research, built financial models, and prepared investment reports to support portfolio decisions and portfolio performance reviews. Holds a Bachelor of Economics in Finance from Xiamen University Malaysia.
ziyin@cksadvisory.com
How We Work
01
We deliver the number you need to hear, not just what you want to hear.
Some advisers will agree with whatever valuation an owner has in mind, sign the mandate, and let the market deliver the bad news six months later. We would rather have the difficult conversation on day one. If your business is not worth what you think it is, we will tell you why, and what it would take to close the gap.
02
We only take on what we can personally run. Senior-led execution on every mandate.
There is no team of juniors behind a senior name here. The person you meet is the person who builds your model, writes your memorandum, and sits in your negotiation. We deliberately limit our annual mandates to ensure uncompromised quality. We think that is the point.
03
Your business is yours until the day it is not. Uncompromising confidentiality.
Your business remains entirely yours until a transaction is finalized. We never take your company to market without explicit, written approval. No names, no financials, no hints to a contact who might be interested. We will walk away from preliminary introductions rather than compromise a client’s identity prematurely.
04
We would rather lose the mandate than lose your trust.
Our fee structure is heavily success-based, but we refuse to push a bad deal over the line just to secure a payout. We advise our clients when a transaction is not in their best interest, even at our own expense. To us, preventing a bad transaction is just as vital as executing a good one, and we intend to be around long enough for that to matter.
05
We stay after the deal.
Signing is not the end. There are conditions to clear, obligations that survive the closing, and a business that needs to keep running through all of it. We stay until the last item is done.
Who We Work Best With
We focus on sectors where we have real operating and transaction depth: manufacturing and industrials; consumer, FMCG and food & beverage; technology and software; healthcare; and business services.
We do our best work with:
01
Owners
Owners of established businesses, typically with profits above RM5 million, who are thinking seriously about a sale, a partner, or a succession plan
02
Founders
Founders raising growth capital who need to be presented properly to institutional investors
03
Acquirers
Corporates and funds looking to acquire in Malaysia and needing someone on the ground to find and assess targets
04
Management teams
Management teams who want an independent read on what their business is worth and what would make it worth more
Get in touch if you are...
An owner
thinking about selling, raising capital, bringing in a partner, or simply wanting to know what your business is worth. Early is better than late — most owners we work with spoke to us long before they were ready to act.
A buyer or investor
looking for opportunities in Malaysia, or wanting to be included when a mandate matches what you are looking for.
A fellow professional
We work regularly with lawyers, auditors, tax advisers, valuers and other corporate advisory firms. If you have a client who needs something we do, or you have something we do not, we would like to know you.
Someone who wants to work here
We are small and we hire rarely, but we hire well. If you want to learn this business properly rather than sit in a corner of a large firm, write to us with something you have built or analysed. We read everything.
Considering a transaction?
Talk to us about your business goals and transaction plans.
From early-stage strategy to transaction execution, we work closely with business owners to navigate complex decisions with clarity and confidence.