The Private Funds Group offers independent advisory services on capital raising and placement to select alternative asset managers.

According to the Evercore, the appointment of Christopher Brand as a managing director of Private Funds Group completes the US distribution team, subject to approval, while the appointment of William Lee will initiate the expansion into Asia.

Brand will be based in Evercore’s San Francisco office with the responsibilities of managing the group’s relationships with institutional investors on the West Coast.

Previously, Brand was managing director at Ecotrust Forest Management where he managed the firm’s limited partner relationships and prior to this, was a managing director at Dahlman Rose & Co where he led their West Coast office.

Evercore said that Lee will lead the Private Funds Group’s Asia offering, and will be responsible for developing the group’s institutional investor relationships in the region.

Lee will join Evercore from Asia Explorer Capital, a firm he founded to raise assets for Asia-based hedge funds. Prior to this, he served as a senior vice president at Fairfield Greenwich Group where he expanded the firm’s Asian presence.