Julian Chung, partner, Ropes & Gray
Chung is a veteran capital markets and public company mergers-and-acquisition (M&A) lawyer in Hong Kong. During his 26-year legal career, the former partner with Norton Rose has advised on many pioneering initial public offerings (IPOs) and secondary offerings for both private and state-owned companies in China. He also has advised on landmark listings of international companies in Hong Kong, including the recent IPO of Vale, the Brazilian mining company.
Gary Li, partner, Ropes & Gray
Li, a veteran China-based corporate lawyer, was formerly with Paul Weiss. He represented top-tier investment firms such as The Carlyle Group, KKR, and Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia in investment, M&A and financing transactions. 'The growth we have seen over the past year is a direct result of our clients' growing needs in Asia and their demands for deeper and broader legal resources' in China and across the region, says Brad Malt, chairman of Ropes & Gray.
James Lai-Hing Tan, general manager - Asia and Middle East, Friends Life
Tan will be based in the Hong Kong branch of Friends Provident International and will be responsible for its activities throughout Asia and the Middle East. 'This appointment reflects the desire of Friends Life to more closely align the structure of the international division with our core markets, which is central to our future strategy. Tan speaks three languages, and has worked in several different countries around the world, reflecting the diverse geographic make-up of our business,' says John van der Wielen, CEO International at Friends Life. Tan, originally from Singapore, has a master's degree in actuarial science from Georgia State University, and an MBA from the University of California and the National University of Singapore. He has 18 years' experience in insurance and banking.