DLA Piper has named China practice co-head Qiang Li and head of Asia litigation and regulatory group Satpal Gobindpuri as co-regional managing partners in Asia, responsible for the day-to-day management and operations in the region.
Roy Chan, who co-led the China practice with Li, will be Asia senior partner, leading strategy and client development in the region. U.S. chairman emeritus Terry O'Malley will remain in his role as chair of the Asia committee, working with Li, Gobindpuri and Chan.
All appointments will take effect on September 1.
The management reshuffle comes a few years after the firm overhauled the Asia management structure at the end of 2013 and created the Asia committee. Its members – all based outside Asia – included O'Malley, then global co-chief executive officer, Americas co-chairman Cameron Jay Rains, and developing markets managing director Andrew Darwin, then Australia managing partner.
The U.S.-led Asia committee took over leadership of the region from then Asia-Pacific managing director Bob Charlton, who soon left the firm to become the head of Asia at Berwin Leighton Paisner.
Other management appointments include Susheela Rivers, the firm’s Asia head of real estate, who will become managing partner at the Hong Kong office, succeeding Kevin Chan, who will take on the role of Asia head of litigation and regulatory from Gobindpuri.
Luke Gannon will take over as Asia head of corporate from Paul Chen, who will return to Silicon Valley, but will continue to be involved in the firm’s Asia and U.S. corporate business.
"Our market share in this highly competitive region has grown materially over the last few years, and our priority now is to strengthen and sustain that momentum,” said O’Malley in a statement.
