To ramp up its China practice, international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP has promoted its Hong Kong-based partner Teresa Ko as the chairwoman of its China practice and transferred three other partners Jenny Connolly, Melissa Thomas and Simon Weller to its China branches.
The latest move will bolster the number of partners at Freshfields’ China offices to 21.
At the helm of Freshfields’ China practice, Ko is expected to help China’s burgeoning enterprises make quicker access to the capital markets and liaise with local regulators on regulatory and legislative reform that are critical to the China marketplace.
Ko is currently the chairman of Hong Kong Stock Exchange’s listing committee and the deputy chairman of Securities and Futures Commission’s Hong Kong panel on takeover and mergers. She was also elected to Freshfields’ global partnership council and provides strategic direction to the firm as well.
Fluent in Cantonese, English and Mandarin, Ko joined the firm in 1988 and was made a partner in 1993. She is best known for her advisory work on complex global offerings of Chinese businesses such as the first wave of Hong Kong and New York listings of mainland enterprises in 1993 and the mega initial public offering of Agriculture Bank of China last year.
Separately, the firm will be transferring its London partner Jenny Connolly and Beijing corporate partner Jack Wang to its Shanghai office in June.
Connolly will bring her experience in antitrust and corporate advisory experience to the China practice and target the country’s fledging technology sector. Wang will bring his expertise of cross-border merger and acquisitions to the practice.
Meanwhile, Melissa Thomas, the firm’s corporate partner, will be relocated from Shanghai to its Beijing office in June. She will bolster Frehsfields’ China financial services practice and work closely with Hong Kong-based regulatory partner Royce Miller.
In addition, London-based corporate partner Simon Weller will be relocated to the firm’s Hong Kong office in May. He will help the firm grow its M&A and private equity practice in Greater China and Asia.ALB
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