Advisory
SJ Berwin appoints Hong Kong head
SJ Berwin has appointed George Pinkham as head of its Hong Kong office. Effective October 1, Pinkham will lead the law firm’s expansion plans across Asia Pacific, building on its existing practices in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Asia Alternatives’ Alexa Zhang joins Wilshire
Investment consultancy Wilshire Private Markets has appointed Alexa Zhang as managing director, with responsibility for the firm’s Hong Kong office. Zhang joins from fund-of-funds Asia Alternatives where she served as a director, focusing on Greater...
Baker & McKenzie's global PE head to join King & Wood Mallesons - report
Baker & McKenzie’s global head of private equity, Mark McNamara, is reportedly leaving the firm to join King & Wood Mallesons in a similar role.
Blackpeak adds PE guru to board
Risk advisory firm Blackpeak Group has appointed private equity investor and advisor Göran L. Seifert to its board. Seifert previously served as a member of British PE firm 3i Group's non-executive director program in Asia.
VC specialist Wilson Sonsini expands Hong Kong presence
Wilson Sonsini, a Silicon Valley-based law firm with strong ties to the venture capital industry, has added a Hong Kong law capability to its China offering and hired a new partner to build out its operations in the territory. Khoon Jin Tan will work...
Capstone Partners opens office in Asia
Placement agent Capstone Partners has opened its maiden Asia office in Singapore. Two senior executives - Alexandre Schmitz and Teena Jilka – were hired to lead the firm’s operations.
Lazard extends Australia corporate advisory reach
Lazard Australia has agreed to purchase independent corporate advisory firm O’Sullivan Partners. The Sydney-based player is an acknowledged media specialist and can also claim to have won several notable private equity mandates, including three from...
Jia Yuan Law Offices opens in Hong Kong
Chinese law firm Jia Yuan Law Offices has established an office in Hong Kong, where it has installed four lawyers, including partners Xu Ying and Sun Tao.
Russia’s VTB Capital appoints Indonesia head
VTB Capital, the investment advisory arm of Russian financial services major VTB Group, has appointed Roger Suyama as head of Indonesia operations. This is part of the firm’s wider strategy to strengthen its presence in Asia Pacific and it comes as...
China portfolio management: Accounting on the wild side
As private equity firms pay more attention to financial management and value-add in Chinese portfolio companies, recruiting a CFO with the right blend of skills and experience is vital – but difficult
Hogan Lovells boosts Singapore banking practice
Hogan Lovells has hired Alexander McMyn as a banking partner in Singapore, as part of the law firm’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its finance capabilities in Southeast Asia. McMyn previously worked at Linklaters in Singapore, having relocated from...
Walkers hires Thomas Granger to Singapore team
Offshore law firm Walkers is relocating Hong Kong-based partner Thomas Granger to its Singapore office. Granger has more than 10 years’ experience in corporate work, particularly investment funds and private equity.
PE exits in India down by 90% in second quarter - PwC
India private equity exits fell 89% year-on-year to just $108 million in the second quarter. This came from 12 transactions, down 33%, according to a report published by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
VIDEO: Shearman & Sterling's Lorna Chen
Foreign-backed renminbi funds are likely to struggle to raise capital in China after the regulator decreed that such vehicles don’t qualify for local treatment for investment purposes, says Lorna Chen, a partner at Shearman & Sterling
Mercer boosts Asia wealth management team
Mercer has appointed Edmund Teo to lead its wealth management team in Asia, providing research, advisory and portfolio management services to banks, insurers and other financial services organizations in the region. Pierre DeGagne also joins as a principal...
Middletons and K&L Gates mull merger
Australian law firm Middletons is in discussions with global player K&L Gates about a potential merger. It would create a firm of more than 2,000 lawyers in 45 offices throughout Australia, Asia, and the Middle East, the Americas and Europe.
China arbitrator dispute leaves foreign investors uneasy
The China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), the national body responsible for resolving commercial disputes, has suspended its Shanghai and Shenzhen branches. The move has provoked concerns among foreign investors over...
Australia’s QIC to use Burgiss Group PE software platform
QIC, one of the largest institutional investors in Australia, has deployed a private equity software platform designed by The Burgiss Group, a New Jersey-based software solutions provider.
Bedell Cristin to offer BVI legal services from Singapore
International law firm Bedell Cristin has opened an office in Singapore from which it will provide British Virgin Islands (BVI) legal services to clients throughout Asia. Stephen Adams, who joined Bedell from BVI law firm Barker Adams at the beginning...
The US invasion: Competition rises among Asia PE legal counsel
A host of US law firms are boosting their Asian operations with a view to offering private equity clients a full suite of services, from fund formation to capital markets. Is there enough business to go around?
James Fong joins Mayer Brown JSM as partner
Global law firm Mayer Brown JSM has appointed James Fong as partner in its corporate and securities practice. He joins from Hogan Lovells, where he became a partner in 2010.
Atlantic-Pacific Capital appoints new CEO
Mark Bourgeois has been appointed CEO and president of Atlantic-Pacific Capital, the global placement agent and advisory firm. He was previously CEO of Credit Suisse’s asset management group in the Americas, with responsibility for funds in which the...
VIDEO: Clifford Chance's Lee Taylor
Indonesia has aroused enormous interest among foreign investors but valuations remain an issue, according to Lee Taylor, a partner with Clifford Chance in Singapore. There have been huge dislocations between buyers and sellers generally since the global...
India PE lawyer joins Dacheng Wong Alliance
India-qualified corporate lawyer Yang Yen Thaw has joined Dacheng Wong Alliance, the Singapore joint venture between China’s Dacheng and Singapore’s Wong Alliance.