UK-headquartered law firm, A&O, has announced the appointments of Gilbert Li and Iris Yeung as partners within its Corporate practice. Both join from Linklaters, where they were also partners.
Their start dates at their new firm are yet to be confirmed, Victor Ho, head of A&O’s Asia Pacific Corporate practice, told FinanceAsia, but they will bolster the existing team in line with the firm’s long-term growth outlook for Asia Pacific.
A&O’s M&A Insights Report 2021 showed last year was a record-breaking one for deal volume, with the global value of M&A transactions exceeding $5 trillion for the first time in history.
The report revealed digitalisation and sustainability as megatrends, and highlighted financial services and technology businesses such as fintech, insurtech, healthtech, medtech and edutech – and other high-growth sectors – as ripe for automation, and driving M&A transactions.
“It was clear from our report that sustainability is now a major element in transaction strategies, although APAC lags other parts of the globe. There is an active market for businesses experiencing growth as a result of their activities focussed on international climate change and/or other related issues – whether this be decarbonisation, new energy, stricter energy efficiency standards, or producers of sustainable or recyclable products or solutions,” Ho explained.
Li and Yeung’s appointments will add to the firm’s capabilities in the region, and specifically Greater China. Their arrival brings the firm’s total number of partners in Asia to just under 100, Ho said. Li will be based in Hong Kong and Sydney, while Yeung will be based in Hong Kong.
Li joined Linklaters in 2007, while Yeung joined in 2010. Notable deals they have advised on while at the firm include the establishment of Livi Bank, a HK$2.5 billion ($319 million) virtual bank joint venture by Jardine Matheson, JD.com, and Bank of China’s (Li); the first follow-on public offer by insurer, Prudential (Li); Cathay Pacific’s HK$39 billion recapitalisation financing (Yeung); and AIA Group’s Hong Kong IPO (Yeung).
Ho added that A&O will continue to consider lateral partner hiring across the region when it identifies suitable candidates who can support the firm’s broader strategic growth plans.
