Speakers

Kenneth Lee, Director, Head of Corporate Secretarial Services, Hong Kong, TMF Group
Kenneth has worked on or led more than 300 transactions during the past two decades, both Chinese domestic ones, as well as cross-border opportunities.  He has extensive experience in finance and accounting due diligence for a diverse range of industries including TMT, real estate, auto and parts, heavy equipment, energy and resources, mining and metals, life sciences, consumer (personal) products, fast moving consumer goods, industrial products, and others.  Prior to transaction advisory services, he also performed audits and forensic investigation assignments. He is currently the Head of Corporate Secretarial Services with TMF Hong Kong.  

Kenneth is a seasoned professional with extensive practical expertise in assisting clients on executing their expansion strategies.  During the past two decades, he has developed critical skills in working with multinationals, private equity funds, and venture capitalists on inbound opportunities into China, whilst in the more recent past, he has also worked with many private or state-owned Chinese companies venturing abroad.

Kenneth received a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from the University of Toronto.  He is also a CFA charter holder, a member of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants, as well as a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts.  

Clifford Ng, Co-Managing Partner, Zhong Lun Law Firm
Clifford is a co-managing partners of Zhong Lun’s Hong Kong office.  Clifford’s practice focuses on complex cross-border transactions and investments.  He has practiced in Hong Kong since 1995 and has extensive experience on cross-border mergers and acquisitions as well as tax compliance and general corporate and commercial matters. 

Clifford provides strategic advice and innovative solutions to complex issues. He has worked extensively in multi-jurisdiction matters. and has participated in consultations on legislation and policies with the Hong Kong government and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and other NGOs. 

Clifford is recognized as a leading practitioner and the “China and Hong Kong’s Top 10 Professionals” in the Citywealth Leaders List.  He has been ranked by Chambers in Hong Kong since 2012. 

Sylvette Y. Tankiang, Senior Partner and the Chief Financial Officer, V&A Law
Ms. Tankiang is currently a Senior Partner and the Chief Financial Officer of Villaraza and Angangco Law.  She has special expertise in the fields of taxation, mergers & acquisitions, banking & finance, securities, and power & energy. 

She has been a professorial lecturer in the College of Law of the University of the Philippines, where she taught key law subjects such as Taxation and Sales. She is also an active member of various local and international law associations, such as the Inter-Pacific Bar Association, where she currently serves as a member and its Deputy Committee Coordinator.  

Ms. Tankiang earned her Bachelor of Arts (Honors) major in Economics from the De La Salle University, graduating summa cum laude in 1977. She then obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines College of Law in 1981, graduating cum laude and valedictorian. Ms. Tankiang earned her Master of Laws degree from Harvard University in 1986 and is currently a Trustee of both the Harvard Law Alumni Association of the Philippines and the Harvard Club of the Philippines Foundation Inc. 

Ms. Tankiang is a ranked lawyer in Chambers and Legal 500. Ms. Tankiang was named as one of the Philippines Top 100 lawyers for 2019 and 2018 of the Asia Business Law Journal. 

Franchette M. Acosta, Senior Partner, V&A Law
Franchette M. Acosta specializes in commercial law, and has counseled clients in foreign investment transactions, mergers and acquisitions of private and public companies and debt and equity offerings (including initial public offerings). Ms. Acosta is counsel for public/listed and private companies in various industries, such as banking and finance, telecommunications, property development, mining and power and energy. She also represents clients before government agencies for procurement and build-operate and transfer projects.

Ms. Acosta holds a Masters of Law Degree (LL.M.) from New York University, a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LL.B.) from the University of the Philippines College of Law and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Economics from the University of the Philippines School of Economics.

Dr. Oliver Massmann, Partner & General Director, Duane Morris Vietnam LLC
PhD with Major in International Business Law from the European Global School in Paris. Dr. Massmann has over 20 years experience working as commercial lawyer in Vietnam. Dr. Massmann practices in the area of corporate international taxation and on power/water projects, matters related to oil and gas companies and telecoms, privatization and equitization, mergers and acquisitions, and general commercial matters for multinational clients in relation to investment and doing business in Vietnam. He has been awarded "Leading Lawyer" in Mergers and Acquisitions in Vietnam by LEGAL 500 for the last four years in a row.

Dr. Massmann is the only foreign lawyer as Member to the Supervisory Board of PetroVietnam Insurance Corporation, Vietnam's largest industrial insurer. Dr. Massmann is currently working on several investment projects as well as taxation matters and advising the Ministry of Electrical Power on building the power generation infrastructure in Myanmar. The National Assembly of Vietnam invited Dr. Oliver Massmann to present on the Impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement on Vietnam, June 2016. Dr. Oliver Massmann is the first foreigner ever to present in Vietnamese language to Members of the National Assembly of Vietnam.

Dr. Massmann is registered Arbitrator of the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre (The VIAC). He is the only foreign lawyer in Vietnam who is presenting to the National Assembly of Vietnam in Vietnamese language and teaching International law in Vietnamese language at the Ministry of Justice in Hanoi. Dr. Massmann is holding a German Judge Degree. He has worked as arbitrator in International Arbitration and Mediation centers in Asia and Europe during the last 20 years. Dr. Massmann has represented many client in arbitration proceedings and Disputes in these Arbitration centers. Dr. Massmann is a 1994 graduate of Bochum Law University, first state exam and Ministry of Justice, Duesseldorf Germany, second state exam 1997. He is holding a LLM degree in international taxation from St. Thomas University Florida- United State of America. He is certified as International Financial Accountant and Auditor by College of Birmingham. He is admitted to the Bar Association in Berlin and a licensed foreign lawyer in Vietnam.

Silvia Wong, Regional Legal Counsel, Aegon Asia
Silvia is the Regional Legal Counsel, Asia for AEGON, a multinational life insurance, pensions and asset management company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands.  She read law at the University of Hong Kong and obtained her Master of Laws at the University of Cambridge.  Silvia joined AEGON in 2015 from Slaughter and May.  In her current role, Silvia advises AEGON’s operations across Asia including its joint ventures, venture capital, online businesses and asset management arms, with a particular focus on AEGON’s digital and strategic initiatives in the region.  

Carson Wen is the Founder and Chairman of Bank of Asia (BVI) Limited and BOA Financial Group Limited. He is also the Chairman of the Sancus Group of companies, which has investments in policy driven sectors such as new energy, logistics, finance and technology. He has practiced law for over 30 years at his own Hong Kong partnership and subsequently at leading global law firms. Mr. Wen has been named as a leading adviser on Chinese law, mergers & acquisitions and capital markets work in Who's Who of the Law, Asia Pacific Legal 500, AsiaLaw Leading Lawyers, Chambers Asia and China's Top 200. He is also named in the International Who's Who and Who's Who of the World.

Carson Wen, Founder and Chairman, Bank Of Asia
Mr. Wen was a three-term Deputy to the National People's Congress of China, which is the PRC's national legislature and constitutionally the highest organ of state power, representing Hong Kong. He is also a Justice of the Peace of Hong Kong and held various public service appointments in Mainland China and Hong Kong. He was the Vice-Chairman and currently Party Affairs Advisor of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong ("DAB"), the largest political party in Hong Kong. He is also Guest Professor of the Law School of Zhongshan University (also known as Sun Yat-Sen University), which is the leading university in Southern China.

Mr. Wen is a member of the Sustainable Business Network of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and Chairman of its Task Force on Green Business. He is also a Director of the Pacific Basin Economic Council. He is also, inter alia, a Founding Director of the China M&A Association. 

Mr. Wen was awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star (BBS) by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government for his contribution to economic ties between Hong Kong, Mainland China and the rest of the world. 

Mr. Wen obtained his B.A. from Columbia University, where he majored in economics, and B.A. and M.A. from Balliol College, Oxford University, where he studied law and was Younger Prizeman in Law for 1976.

Hugo Ngaw, Group Legal Counsel, Convoy Global Holdings Limited
Hugo Ngaw is Group Legal Counsel of Convoy Global Holdings Limited (HK stock code: 1019). Hugo did bachelor and master degrees in laws in City University of Hong Kong and People’s University of China. He worked in HK and USA law firms and was legal counsel in another HK-listed financial group and a HK-listed movie company. He was company secretary of a HK-listed telecommunication components manufacturing company. 

Marco Chung, Regional Head of Legal – IBD M&A and Private Funds, Morgan Stanley
Marco is the Regional Head of Legal for the Private Funds business and the IBD M&A business for Morgan Stanley in Asia.   Marco was recently awarded M&A Individual of the Year 2019 at the 7th Asia Pacific Counsel Awards by the Association of Corporate Counsel.  His team was selected for the Legal 500’s 2018 and 2019 GC Powerlist for Hong Kong.  

Marco constantly advises on downstream investments, fund formation issues (offshore, onshore PRC structures and Singapore 13R/13X-able structures), fund financing and all matters related to the IBD M&A advisory business.  

Marco also constantly speaks at various M&A and Funds related forums.  Most recently at the IFLR M&A Form (chairing the Emerging Markets panel) and the Fund Finance Symposium (as a representative of GP). 

Marco is qualified to practise laws in England and Wales, Hong Kong, Australia (New South Wales) and New Zealand.

Sandra Wu, President, Association of Corporate Counsel Asia & Founding Partner and Group General Counsel, Origin X Capital
Sandra has served on the ACC Hong Kong Board of Directors since 2017 as Treasurer and was elected President in 2019. Sandra is the Founding Partner and the Group General Counsel for Origin X Capital, a venture capital and investment management firm that provides seed, venture and growth stage funding to emerging companies in FinTech & Distributed Ledger Technology. She was the former Head of Legal & Compliance and Chief Compliance Officer for Mercer Investments (HK) Limited, where she looked after the legal, regulatory and compliance needs of the investment management and advisory business units. 

Erika Evasdottir, General Counsel and CCO,  Origin X Capital
Erika Evasdottir is GC and CCO of Origin X Capital. Ms. Evasdottir acts in a hybrid COO/GC role to ensure clients have the licensing, governance regimes and other procedures in place to allow the business to concentrate on what they do best. The goal is to promote the growth of the company and its ability to explore new products and markets quickly and efficiently without sacrificing internal controls. By bringing her experience in corporate and fund transactions to bear, Ms. Evasdottir also reviews investment opportunities and structures funds and downstream investments with an eye to avoiding regulatory, compliance and legal pitfalls. Ms. Evasdottir began her legal career as a ECM/DCM (underwriter’s counsel) capital markets lawyer at Milbank and Paul Hastings, but quickly found her true calling in private equity, M&A and funds structuring at Weil Gotshal. Her practical and real work experience comes from having been Assistant Director – Business Development for an infrastructure fund and GC (Asia) of two US headquartered hedge funds (and thereby fully experiencing both the up and down cycles) before coming to OXC. Ms. Evasdottir additionally teaches at CUHK, has a PhD from Harvard, a JD from Columbia and is admitted in New York and Hong Kong. Her book is titled “Obedient Autonomy: Chinese Intellectuals and the Achievement of Orderly Life”.

Hilarie Lam, Associate General Counsel, PAG
Hilarie is the Associate General Counsel for PAG, an Asia-based alternative investment fund with approximately US$30 billion asset under management across strategies including private equity, real estate and absolute returns. She advises on the transactions within PAG’s absolute returns strategy and on general corporate matters. Before joining PAG, Hilarie was an associate at Allen & Overy in banking and finance team.

Kent Choi, Chief Operating Officer, Well Link Financial Group
Kent is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Well Link Financial Group and also the Chief Strategy Officer of Well Link Insurance Group Holdings. In the group he manage various areas including M&A, new license application, strategy, critical business transformation initiatives and other day to day business matters. The group comprehensively covers banking, life insurance, general insurance, securities and asset management businesses across the Greater Bay Area. Previously, Kent also worked in other corporate in house M&A roles across the region in Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.