Baker McKenzie appoints three new group leaders for Asia Pacific

Baker McKenzie has appointed Derek Poon, Stephen Crosswell and Celeste Ang as new leaders for its Asia Pacific practice and industry groups, effective July 1, 2022. 

Private Equity/ M&A Partner Derek Poon (Hong Kong) takes over from Kelvin Poa (Singapore) as Asia Pacific chair of the Private Equity Practice. Derek has extensive experience in the Pan-Asia region representing private equity firms, investment banks and major corporations on a wide variety of corporate matters, including public and private M&A, private equity, joint ventures, real estate private equity and distressed M&A transactions.  

Antitrust Partner Stephen Crosswell (Hong Kong) also takes over from Adrian Lawrence (Sydney) as Asia Pacific chair of the Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Industry Group, on top of being the Asia Pacific chair of the Antitrust & Competition Practice. Stephen has more than 20 years of experience advising on a broad range of telecommunications regulatory and competition law issues in Mainland China, Hong Kong and throughout the Asia Pacific. He also regularly advises on competition policy matters, including regulated industry negotiations with governments and regulators, deregulation, privatization and state-owned enterprises reform. 

Dispute Resolution and Employment Practice Principal Celeste Ang (Singapore) has taken over from Michael Michalandos (Sydney) as Asia Pacific chair of the Employment & Compensation Practice. Celeste has significant experience acting for global clients in cross-border disputes, and advising on compliance and regulatory issues in cross-border investigations. She also advises on a wide range of employment and employment-related issues, with a focus on contentious or potentially contentious issues.

“I am delighted to welcome our new practice and industry group leaders to the leadership team. These appointments attest to our commitment in building our practices and enabling us to better assist our clients to address the increasingly complex legal and businesses challenges that transcend across borders and sectors,” said Michael Wong, Baker McKenzie’s Asia Pacific chair.

“At a time when the world is in a state of flux, companies are trying to future-proof their business by investing in strategic areas, such as digital transformation, supply chains, energy transition, sustainability, workforce redesign, and pursuing strategic transactions. With the deep local knowledge, regional experience and sector insights that our new team of leaders bring, I am confident that we will be able to deliver an integrated legal service offering that will enable our clients to meet their business objectives while mitigating risks,” Wong added.