Pinsent Masons has hired Kenneth Chong as a partner for its Hong Kong office. Chong, who join the firm’s corporate department, comes from the partnership of local Hong Kong firm ONC Lawyers and will bring his team of senior associate Sylvia Zee and Jackie Liu with him.

Chong’s practice focuses on corporate finance practitioner and he has considerable experience with listing companies on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE) and advising them on regulatory requirements. In addition to his time at ONC, Chong worked for international players Herbert Smith and Orrick.

Vincent Connor, head of Asia Pacific at Pinsent Masons said that Chong’s appointment will enable the firm to make a push into the active Hong Kong IPO market. “More and more companies from outside of Hong Kong and China are choosing to list on the HKSE to take advantage of the excellent access to capital; therefore an ability to provide advice in this area has become increasingly important. Kenneth's experience will allow us to broaden the scope of the service we currently offer our clients, enabling us to make the most of opportunities in this market,” Connor said.

The appointment of Chong increases the number of partners in the firm's Hong Kong office to ten. Vincent Connor told ALB that the growth will not end with Chong's appointment. “With the increased levels of corporate activity in Hong Kong, I expect that we will be building on Kenneth’s appointment over the next few months.  This is part of a long-term plan to increase our overall capability in this area, ensuring that we are best placed to support clients wanting to list on the HKSE,” Connor said.