Marshall Nicholson

John Marshall Nicholson
Born	United States
Occupation	Investment banker
Years active	2002–present
Known for	Head of Asia-ex-Japan equity capital markets at Nomura Group; Vice-chairman for investment banking at BOC International

John Marshall Nicholson () is an investment banker based in Hong Kong.

Career

Prior to moving to Hong Kong in 2002, Nicholson held positions at Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan in New York City. Upon relocation, he took on the role of head of Asia-ex-Japan equity capital markets at Credit Suisse First Boston. In 2005, Nicholson was recruited by the Macquarie Group to lead China equity capital markets, as part of a strategic effort to attract top ECM professionals based in Hong Kong.

He departed from Macquarie in January 2007 amid a wave of senior ECM personnel exits. Subsequently, Nicholson assumed the position of vice-chairman for investment banking at BOC International, becoming one of the pioneering foreign senior executives within a Chinese banking institution. During his time at BOCI, he played a key advisory role in significant transactions such as Rusal's 2010 initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Nicholson concentrated on growing BOCI's equity capital markets and institutional equities divisions. Prior to his leadership, BOCI did not lead any equity offerings in 2005 and managed only seven in 2006; however, between 2008 and 2010, that number increased substantially to sixty-five.

In February 2012, Nicholson stepped down from his role at BOCI. He then took up the position of managing director at China International Capital Corp, recognized as China's inaugural joint venture investment bank. Nicholson exited CICC in June 2014.

In March 2015, Nicholson was appointed head of Asia-ex-Japan equity capital markets at the Hong Kong branch of Nomura Group. He maintained this leadership role through at least December 2017.

Personal life

Nicholson holds both bachelor's and master's degrees in chemical engineering from Columbia University, in addition to an MBA earned at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. In 2003, he wed a woman from Hong Kong.

On 12 April 2013, Nicholson formally renounced his U.S. citizenship at the U.S. Consulate-General in Hong Kong as part of his naturalisation process to become a Chinese national. He explained that this decision was consistent with his long-term personal and career goals. Associates observed that obtaining Chinese nationality enabled easier access to mainland China for client visits, as only Hong Kong residents holding Chinese citizenship are eligible for Home Return Permits. Analyst Peter Thal Larsen interpreted this change as a deliberate professional move, demonstrating dedication to Hong Kong rather than viewing it as a transitional base before relocating to London or New York.

External links

• Positions of Nicholson, John Marshall on David Michael Webb's webb-site.com