The Carlyle Group, established in 1987, is one of the world's largest and most diversified global investment firms, with US$441 billion of assets under management across 3 business segments and 636 investment vehicles. Carlyle combines global vision with local insight, relying on a top-flight team of more than 2300 investment professionals operating out of offices in 29 countries to uncover superior opportunities in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East/North Africa and Latin America.
CDH Investments is an international alternative asset fund manager with more than US$20 billion of committed capital under management. CDH Investments was established in 2002 by the former private equity group of China International Capital Corporation and is managed by an experienced team of senior investment professionals who have been working together since 1995. They have invested in more than 350 companies, including some of China's most successful companies, such as China Mengniu Dairy, Li Ning, Focus Media, Yurun Group, and LDK Solar.
Founded in 2002, CITIC Capital Holdings Limited is a leading China-focused investment management and advisory firm. The company manages over US$15 billion of capital from a diverse base of international investors. Its core businesses include Private Equity, Asset Management, Real Estate and Structured Finance. The team combines deep knowledge of the China business and financial markets with world-class investment expertise in order to create value for investors.
Merrill Lynch is one of the world's leading wealth management, capital markets and advisory companies, with offices in 40 countries and territories and total client assets of almost US$2.0 trillion. Merrill Lynch offers a broad range of services to private clients, small businesses, and institutions and corporations, organizing its activities into two interrelated business segments - Global Markets & Investment Banking Group and Global Wealth Management, which is comprised of Global Private Client and Global Investment Management.
In 1935 Morgan Stanley left J.P. Morgan & Co. to open its business as an investment banking firm in New York. With more than 80 thousand employees and 1300 branches in 42 countries, Morgan Stanley provides various financial service products including securities issue, asset management, M&A and credit card service. In August, 1995, Morgan Stanley set up CICC (China International Capital Corporation) with the cooperation of CCB (China Construction Bank) and became the first international financial joint investment bank in mainland China. Through CICC, Morgan Stanley provided overseas IPO services for many Chinese companies like China Unicom, Sinopec Group, China Telcom etc., and successfully raised capital over US$10 billion.
Pacific Alliance is a fund management group founded in 2002 by Horst Geicke and Chris Gradel. Pacific Alliance and its affiliates manage four primary funds with total assets in excess of US$55 billion. Pacific Alliance’s investors include leading institutions as well as high net worth investors from Europe, US and Asia. The Group has over 370 staff across offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
Prax Capital is an independently owned private equity firm established by a team of experienced Chinese and Western professionals which combine in-depth industrial knowledge, hands-on operating experience and financial expertise. In addition to capital, it contributes operational and financial management advice, international best industry practices, strategic partnerships and foreign market entry support to accelerate the growth and enhance the value of its portfolio companies. Prax Capital usually focuses on businesses of US$10million to US$30 million and with an investment cycle from three to seven years, with a belief in working with the management for value-added growth.
TVG Capital Partners is an international private equity firm that originates and structures transactions, and acts as a principal investor in companies involved in the Communications, Media, and Technology industries. TVG manages over US$700 million in committed capital from investors worldwide and is the largest firm with its particular sector focus in the Asia Pacific region. TVG was elected by Asian Venture Capital Journal as the Venture Capital Firm of the Year in 2001, and its investment in Hanaro Telecom was honored as the Best Buyout of the Year in 2004.
Holding roughly 8% of the world market, Grohe AG is the biggest European and the world's leading manufacturer of sanitary fittings. As a global brand for sanitary products and systems, GROHE is setting standards in quality, function and design. Headquartered in Hemer, Germany, the company currently employs some 5,200 people worldwide, including 3,200 in Germany.
Royal Philips Electronics is a global leader in healthcare, lighting and consumer lifestyle, delivering people-centric, innovative products, services and solutions through their brand promise of "sense and simplicity."The company employs approximately 67,800 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of €18 billions in 2024, Philips is a market leader in medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring systems, energy efficient lighting solutions, as well as lifestyle solutions for personal wellbeing.
Established in 2003 through a merger of four companies, each a leader in its existing product field of Fiber Optics, Optics, Laser, and Photonic Crystal Materials, Photop's headquarters are in Fuzhou, China, with over 3,000 employees including around 350 dedicated engineers and over 50,000 square meters of manufacturing facilities, including state-of-art class 100 and 1,000 clean rooms in Fuzhou, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Photop has delivered tens of millions of quality products to customers worldwide for Optical Communication, Projection and Display, Optical Instruments, and Laser industries.
Siemens, headquartered in Berlin and Munich, is one of the world's largest electrical engineering and electronics companies. Sustainability has been a hallmark of the company ever since its founding more than 150 years ago. At Siemens, sustainability means long-term economic success, coupled with environmental awareness and the social responsibility that goes with being a good corporate citizen. In fiscal 2024 (ended September 30), the company had roughly 309,000 employees and posted sales of €75.930 billion from continuing operations. Net income for the year totaled €8.992 billion. Siemens generates around 80% of its sales outside Germany.
American Standard begins with the unmatched legacy of quality and innovation that has lasted for more than 150 years. It is this tradition of quality and innovation that puts it in three out of five homes in America, as well as, countless hotels, airports, and stadiums. American Standard provides the style and performance that fit perfectly into life, wherever that may be. Every product it makes is designed to meet the unique needs of consumers and trade partners all over the world. At American Standard, innovation never stops, and ingenuity never ceases.
Bertelsmann AG, a famous German
Company with 190 years' history, has operations in 63 countries with
more than 97 thousand employees. Bertelsmann AG owns six sub-groups,
which are: Direct Group, with 55 million members over the world; RTL
Group, the No. 1 European TV, radio and production company; Penguin Random
House, the world's largest book-publishing group; Gruner + Jahr,
Europe's biggest magazine publisher; BMG, the No. 1 American record
publisher; and Arvato, the biggest European media service supplier. As
an internationalized media Group, Bertelsmann produces, serves and
markets media through its club and online business and has realized € 20.169 billion revenue in 2023, which made it one of the leaders in the
market.
Bi-link is a global mechanical
component supplier with expertise in metal stamping, injection moulding
and value added services. It was established in Chicago in 1961. With
its global locations, top manufacturing infrastructure and TS
Certification, Bi-Link brings a unique value-proposition to the
Automotive Industry. Bi-Link’s current engineering process links its
global technical resources and its wholly owned facilities enable itself
to establish common, global systems and procedures that implement
company wide quality.
With a multi-format network of more than 14000 stores in more than 40 countries, the Carrefour Group is one of the world leaders in food commerce. Carrefour is a leading hypermarket chain selling a wide range of household grocery products ranging from frozen goods and fresh products to textiles, garments and shoes, as well as electrical goods such as home kitchen items and audio-visual appliances. Carrefour is widely recognized as a convenient one-stop shopping centre that caters to a mix of consumers from housewives to students and working professionals. It leverages expertise and strengths to create value, which is shared among customers, employees, shareholders, partners and suppliers.
Established in 1982, and listed on the NYSE as CY, Cypress Semiconductor solutions are at the heart of any system that is built to perform: consumer, computation, data communications, automotive, industrial, and solar power. Leveraging a strong commitment to customer service and performance-based process and manufacturing expertise, Cypress is the industry leader of programmable mixed-signal arrays.
Heineken was established in Amsterdam in 1863. As an international first-line brand, Heineken is not only the second largest beer producer, but also the largest beer exporter in the world. Through the proper combination of strategies, such as localizing production, strong export emphasis, and granting local franchise rights, Heineken makes its products popular in more than 170 countries.
Lucite International is a global leader in the design, development and manufacture of acrylic-based products. It is the world's number one supplier of MMA, the essential ingredient for the global acrylics market. With 14 global manufacturing sites and 2000 dedicated personnel, it generates an annual revenue of US$1.5 billion and stays the leader in methacrylates, with 25% market share. Lucite International searches for enhanced quality, better performance, choice and flexibility and this applies equally to their development of existing products and totally new applications.
McDonald's is the leading global foodservice retailer with more than 40,000 local restaurants serving 69 million people in more than 100 countries each day. More than 70% of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local people. McDonald's serves the world some of its favorite foods - World Famous French Fries, Big Mac, Chicken McNuggets and Egg McMuffin. The strong foundation that its founder Ray Kroc built continues today with McDonald's vision and the commitment of their talented executives to keep the shine on McDonald's arches for years to come.
The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. markets more than 10,000 quality products under a large portfolio of brands. About one third of the Company sales come from skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products introduced within the past three years. Thousands of its employees at 15 manufacturing facilities in North America and Europe are dedicated to ensuring that these products are made with the most sophisticated technology and the highest standards of quality.
Victorinox China Limited (VCN), invested by Victorinox Cutlery Company (VCH) and Victorinox Hong Kong Limited (VHK), was founded in Shanghai in February 2005. VCH is the largest cutlery manufacturer in Europe. Since its first delivery of the Soldier’s Knives to the Swiss Army in early 1890’s, Victorinox has been famous for its "Original Swiss Army Knife"all over the world. Today Victorinox has more than 1400 employees around the world, owns subsidiaries in no less than 10 countries, and provides products and services to more than 100 nations and territories. Victorinox China Limited is responsible for the marketing and sales of Victorinox products in China. The main product lines include pocket tools, travel gear, watches, and kitchen knives.
Yves Rocher Group was created in France in 1958. It is a world leader in botanical beauty care, affirming its status as one of the world‘s foremost brands of plant-based beauty care products. Yves Rocher has over 15,000 employees worldwide. With booming expansion recent years, YR Group generates more than €2.2 billion sales annually in the world. The Yves Rocher–Institute of France is aimed at strengthening the relationship between nature and humankind through educational activities.
CFO Services(1):
Client background: Company A is a market leader in retailing sector in mainland China. After several private placements with worldwide financial investors, including one of the top 3 investment banks in the world, the Company is now preparing for its Initial Public Offering (“IPO”) in overseas capital market in late 2008 or early 2009. Therefore, the Company needs more professional management team in finance to improve its overall corporate governance, internal control over financial reporting and integration between finance department and other operation teams.
Our services cover:
- Help the company enhance the financial reporting and internal control functions of the finance department;
- Help the company set up and implement necessary financial analysis functions and a series of management reports to facilitate management's decision-making in business development; and
- Help the company optimize its internal information system, standardize operation procedures to ensure the Company’s fast and healthy business expansion.After service: With Smount team (Smount provided both CFO services and Accounting Restructuring services in compliance with IPO requirements), the Company is able to accelerate its IPO progress, together with its planned business expansion speed, to take over more market shares.
CFO Services(2):
Client background: Company B is an overseas retailing company, which engages in the sales of a famous U.S. sports brand. Since 2007, the Company has commenced to build up a retailing network in China.
Our services cover:
- Help the Company enhance the accounting and internal control functions of the finance department;
- Help the Company set up and implement necessary financial analysis functions and a series of management reports to facilitate management's decision-making;
- Help the Company set up and implement a comprehensive budgeting system- to better integrate the Company's resources .After service: With a more efficient management team and useful analytical tools, the Company is able to allocate its resources more appropriately for a faster business development, together with a better control of its assets on hand. With SMOUNT's help, the Company achieved its business expansion target in 2007. And now, SMOUNT is acting as the Company’s long-term Financial Advisor.
Acted as Finance Department to Takeover All Financial Functions (1):
Client background: Company C was founded in France in 1958 where the Company is the market leader in botanical beauty care, affirming its status as one of the world's foremost brands of plant-based beauty care products. In 2004 the Company came to China for its local production, purchase and sales.
SMOUNT has provided financial outsourcing services to this company for over 3 years. And, the services include:
- Monthly bookkeeping and preparation of financial statements for both PRC statutory filing and group reporting purposes;
- Help the Company supervise the daily operations of its logistic service provider and retailing stores, with outputs like monthly inventory movement report and sales report;
- Help the Company in the handling of tax-related matters, which include monthly tax declaration, application and extension of its general VAT taxpayer position, expatriate's Individual Income Tax ("IIT") planning and filing etc.;
- Represent on behalf of the Company in government relationship and communication, which includes annual filing of enterprise income taxes, annual reporting to government agencies/departments etc.After service: Company C achieved tremendous growth, from zero to 13 branches in Shanghai, Beijing and Wuxi by the end of 2007, with total revenue over RMB1.0 million a month.
Acted as Finance Department to Takeover All Financial Functions (2):
Client background: Company D is a NYSE listed company which engages in the designing and manufacturing of semiconductor products.
Our services include:
- Help the Company in handling of daily cash disbursements, payroll calculation and Individual Income Tax ("IIT") filing etc.
- Monthly bookkeeping and preparation of financial statements for both PRC statutory filing and US group reporting purposes;
- Represent on behalf of the Company in tax-related matters, which include monthly tax declaration, tax advisory services on and Corporate Taxes etc.; and
- Represent on behalf of the Company in government relationship and communications, which include the open or liquidation of any of its subsidiary, representative offices in mainland China.After service: SMOUNT is now acting as the national service provider in Finance for the Company. And, as a result, the Company was able to grow rapidly from 2 representative offices to 5 legal entities in mainland China, due to its more focus able to be spent on the development of core business in China.