Minter Ellison has made two lateral hires in Hong Kong to spearhead the development of the firm's tax capability in the region. The two hires are Christian Pellone, a former senior international tax partner in Ernst & Young’s  Greater China tax practice and Edward Lean, also previously with EY Hong Kong. Pellone joins as a partner, while Lean has joined as a senior tax manager.

Rhys Guild, head of Minter Ellison's tax division, said the market for tax advice was growing in Hong Kong, mainland China and Asia generally.

"What we're seeing is the growth of the financial services market in Asia-Pacific, the movement of North American, European and Australian banks into the region, increasingly complex cross-border transactions and increasingly aggressive behaviour of tax authorities to counter tax avoidance,” he said. "The time is ripe to have senior tax professionals on the ground in Hong Kong to work with regional clients and with our tax team here in Australia.”

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