Ant Financial, the financial services affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, has hired Simpson Thacher & Bartlett partner Chen Leiming, its long term external legal counsel, as its global general counsel and senior vice-president in charge of its legal, compliance and risk management.

Prior to joining Ant Financial, Chen led Simpson Thacher’s China practice. He advised on both equity and debt offerings, including some landmark U.S and Hong Kong IPOs, and the debt offering of companies based in mainland China including Alibaba’s landmark $25 billion New York initial public offering. Most recently he led Alibaba’s $ 4.6 billion investment in Chinese electronic s retailer Suning Commerce Group.

Born and raised in Hangzhou, Chen got his JD from York University and specialized in M&A, private equity and corporate law. Before joining Simpson Thacher in 2006, he was a partner at Shearman & Sterling.

In his new role, he will lead a team of 50 legal professionals, and report to Ant Financial’s president Eric Jing.

Ant Financial, whose Alipay platform is China’s largest Internet platform, began its second round of financing in January, another step towards a public listing in China. Alibaba’s $25 buillion IPO in 2014 did not include Ant Financial, but it has a profit sharing agreement with the e-commerce giant. The affiliate is also effectively controlled by Alibaba executives.