Ares Management Corp has appointed James Garforth as principal in its Asia direct lending business. Garforth joins from BGH Capital in Melbourne, where he led the firm’s capital markets business since 2023. He will be based in Hong Kong and report to Peter Graf, partner and head of Asia direct lending at Ares. His previous experience includes KKR Capital Markets in Sydney and nearly a decade at Credit Suisse in leveraged finance and financial sponsors roles in New York and Sydney. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics from the University of Queensland.