Chris is a partner in our corporate department, based in our office in Hong Kong. He advises clients on significant corporate matters globally, with a particular focus on mergers and acquisitions (including both Hong Kong and UK public takeovers), capital raising, and governance. He is qualified in Hong Kong and English law.
For his work in Asia, in the 2022 edition of Chambers Greater China, Chris is recognised as an ‘Up and Coming Lawyer’ for Corporate/M&A, and in the 2022 edition of IFLR1000 Asia-Pacific as ‘Highly Regarded’ for M&A. He was also recognised as an IFLR Asia Future Leader in 2021.
For his work in the UK, in 2017 he was listed in The Lawyer’s Hot 100 (which highlights the most innovative and creative lawyers from in-house, private practice and the Bar), and voted second by other advisers in the Financial News’ Partner of the Year Award, for his advice to the directors of ARM Holdings on the US$34bn takeover bid from SoftBank, and he was recognised in the Legal 500 for M&A while based in London. Chris spent six months in corporate advisory at Barclays investment banking division in 2011, and is co-author of a chapter on stake building during public takeovers in 'A Practitioner’s Guide To The City Code on Takeovers and Mergers'.
Representative transactions include advising:
- In Asia:
- SF Express on its US$2.3bn partial offer to acquire a controlling stake in Hong Kong-listed Kerry Logistics Network Limited
- SoftBank Vision Fund on tech investments across China and Asia-Pacific, including in Ping An Good Doctor and Ping An Healthcare Technology
- FWD on the US$3bn acquisition of SCB Life from, and bancassurance arrangement with, Siam Commercial Bank in Thailand, the largest insurance M&A deal ever in Southeast Asia
- Standard Chartered on the establishment of an Hong Kong hub entity structure for its Asia banking businesses
- Prudential on its S$1.15bn bancassurance arrangement with United Overseas Bank for Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam
- ARM on the joint venture of its Chinese semiconductor business
- In the UK:
- ARM on the US$34bn takeover bid from SoftBank
- Cadbury on the hostile, and later recommended, US$19.5bn takeover by Kraft
- Wood Group on the £2.2bn takeover of AMEC Foster Wheeler
- PTT Exploration and Production (Thailand) on the £1.2bn contested takeover of Cove Energy
- Platform Specialty Products (US) on its £1.35bn takeover of Alent