Withers KhattarWong, the Singapore alliance of international law firm Withers, has expanded its corporate offering with the addition of former Linklaters counsel Gary Beh as a partner in the city-state. 

Beh, who started his career at Allen & Gledhill and then spent seven years at Linklaters, advises clients on regional fundraising, mergers, acquisitions, and private equity transactions across the technology, financial services, energy and infrastructure sectors. He also regularly advises clients on Singapore corporate regulatory and compliance matters.

“Private capital plays an increasingly important role in the investment world, including in Southeast Asia, and the Withers platform is well-positioned to capitalise on those opportunities with its deep bench strength and global footprint,” Beh said in a statement. 

Withers’ addition of Beh follows the departure of a four-lawyer corporate team led by Chuo Ming Leong to Han Kun Law Offices in Singapore last August. The firm also added a two-lawyer real estate team in Singapore from Shook Lin & Bok, led by partner Chau Hwei Lee, in July. 

“Gary's addition comes at a pivotal time as Southeast Asia's M&A landscape continues to see strong deal activity, with increasing cross-border transactions and a shift towards high-value sectors like technology and infrastructure,” said Daniel Yong, joint managing partner of the firm’s Singapore office.

Following a lacklustre year, Southeast Asian market experts are optimistic about M&A activity in 2025, owing to reduced inflation and lowering interest rates. The energy and technology sectors are particularly in focus, as the push for energy transition and digital transformation is seeing higher growth in the region compared with global standards.