SPEAKERS

RICHARD BARTON
CEO, Asia ex-Japan, Gavin Anderson & Company

Richard is based in Hong Kong having previously been Chief Executive of GA’s office in Singapore. He moved to Asia from Gavin Anderson’s London office in early 2000.

He has extensive experience in contested corporate situations, crises, litigation, M&A transactions, restructurings and capital markets fund-raisings across both Asia and Europe. His recent experience includes SJM’s Hong Kong IPO, Permira’s investment in Galaxy Entertainment, KKR’s various acquisitions in Asia, GOME’s acquisition of China Paradise, Anheuser-Busch’s successful contested offer for Harbin Brewery, advising Sovereign Global Investment on its attempts to reform the board of Korean chaebol, SK Corp, advising City Telecom in its legal battle with PCCW and advising DP World on its acquisition of CSX World Terminals. In early 2006 he also handled international media relations for Lotte Shopping during its dual listing in Seoul and London, then Asia’s largest ever non-privatisation IPO.

In SEAsia he advised on the merger which created CapitaLand, on NatSteel’s disposal programme, Kuok Investments' takeover of Pacific Carriers, the impact of the collapse of Air New Zealand on its majority shareholder BIL International, United Overseas Bank’s successful contested takeover of Overseas Union Bank, NatSteel’s management’s MBO attempt and 98 Holdings’ successful contested offer for NatSteel. In Malaysia he advised PLUS Expressways on its IPO, Tenaga Nasional on its legal battle with UBS, and on the hostile proxy fight between TRI-Celcom and Telekom Malaysia. Elsewhere he advised on debt restructurings in Indonesia and the Philippines.

In London he advised dozens of listed companies on their financial media and investor relations issues as well as advising on more than a dozen contested M&A situations

Richard started his career in County NatWest’s corporate finance department in London.

DARREN FITZGERALD
Head of Asia Dispute Resolution Group, Bird & Bird

Darren is head of Bird & Bird’s Asia Dispute Resolution Group.

Darren specialises in commercial litigation with a technology focus - in telecommunications, IT and media – and in international arbitration, especially in the IP/IT sectors. He has particular experience in PRC-related disputes.

Darren has practiced in Asia-Pacific for over 14 years and has worked on some of the largest and most complex commercial disputes and regulatory matters in Hong Kong.

Darren is a Chartered Arbitrator and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, panel arbitrator of the Shanghai Arbitration Commission and is a panelist for the Hong Kong Office of the Asian Domain Name Dispute Resolution Centre. He is included in the Hong Kong International Arbitration Commission’s Hong Kong list of arbitrators and is a member of the Hong Kong ICC arbitration committee.

Darren also heads the firm’s Asia Employment Practice and regularly assists in relation to the full range of contentious and non-contentious employment matters in Hong Kong and mainland China.

Darren is an experienced contentious insolvency lawyer. He is a member of the newly created provisional Insolvency Faculty Executive Committee of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Darren speaks fluent German and has a good working knowledge of French.

XIANG JI
Partner, Fangda Partners

Xiang Ji is a partner of Fangda Partners. Mr. Ji is qualified to practice in People’s Republic of China and the State of New York.

Mr. Ji is a key member of the firms' dispute resolution practice. He primarily represents major multinational companies in settling their China-related disputes through litigation or arbitration in corporate governance, professional liability, securities misrepresentation, joint venture investment and restructuring.

Mr. Ji has unique expertise in handling disputes involving complex corporate finance transactions drawing upon his previous experience as a transactional attorney in the relevant areas. Before joining the firm, Mr. Ji worked with two international law firms for 6 years in New York and Beijing. During that time, Mr. Ji was immersed in China-related corporate finance transactions, ranging from venture capital investment, foreign direct investment in China, structured finance, merger and acquisition to public offering of securities.

Mr. Ji obtained from Fudan University Law School, an LL.B. in 1994, and an LL.M. in 1996. He was one of the ten winners of the China National Awards for University Students in 1995. Mr. Ji was a visiting scholar in the University of Michigan Law School from 1996 to 1997. In 1998, he received an LL.M. degree from New York University School of Law as a Hauser Scholar.

GEORGE PARAMANANTHAN
General Counsel, Australasia, Jones Lang LaSalle

George Paramananthan is the General Counsel, Australasia for Jones Lang LaSalle. In this role, he is a member of the management teams for each of the Australasian interests for Jones Lang LaSalle, as well as a member of various global committees. He has extensive senior experience working in-house with companies such as Inchcape Motors, SingTel Optus, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. In those roles, George was also a member of the executive team, and worked closely with senior management on risk management issues, corporate governance and strategic planning.

BEN PASCO
Managing director, Legal Technologies Practice, Asia, Kroll

Ben Pasco is managing director of Legal Technologies Asia Pacific for Kroll Ontrack, the industry leader in electronic discovery, computer forensics, ESI consulting, and jury consulting and trial presentation services. Based in Hong Kong, Mr. Pasco is responsible for developing a regional business strategy as well as overseeing the company’s Legal Technologies engagements in the region. Furthermore, he conducts market research and analysis, and establishes best practices and training programs to meet client needs. A recognized expert in his field, Mr. Pasco is often called upon as an expert computer forensic witness in criminal and civil cases. Additionally, Mr. Pasco speaks at numerous seminars, particularly for lawyers and accountants.

Prior to joining Kroll Ontrack, Mr. Pasco was the director of Forensic and Legal Technologies with a major consulting organization. In this role, Mr. Pasco headed the electronic discovery, litigation technologies and computer forensics practice covering Greater China and parts of South Asia. Mr. Pasco’s case experience includes fraud, asset training, intellectual property theft, counter-terrorism and audit negligence. Mr. Pasco was appointed as a single joint expert by financial regulatory bodies and litigants in Hong Kong. Additionally, Mr. Pasco trained and worked on computer forensic matters with a number of counter-terrorism units in ASEAN. Previously, Mr. Pasco also served as the founder and managing director for PGI Consultants providing computer forensic capabilities and services.

Mr. Pasco is professionally qualified as an electrical, electronic and building services engineer. Additionally, Mr. Pasco serves as a professor of forensics at the China Institute of Defence, Science and Technology in Beijing.

ROBERT S. PE
Partner, Litigation, Orrick Coudert

Mr. Robert S. Pé, a partner in Orrick's Hong Kong office, is a member of the Litigation Group. He has handled a broad range of contentious matters and handles high value international arbitrations in various locations including Hong Kong, London and Singapore and under various rules including the UNCITRAL Rules and the ICC Rules. Recent representations have included:

• Acting for a U.S.-based corporation and a major Chinese entity in separate high value arbitrations in Hong Kong and Singapore, each arising from the sale and purchase of a substantial business in mainland China.
• Acting for a Hong Kong conglomerate in obtaining and resisting court orders for the gathering of evidence pursuant to letters of request issued by the Californian courts in a case that culminated in a U.S. $2.8 billion judgment in favor of the client.
• Taking enforcement action in respect of intellectual property rights for various clients including a Japanese electronics manufacturer.
• Acting for a Taiwanese client in pursuing a jurisdictional challenge, which is being taken to Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal.
• Advising a court-appointed receiver in the context of an acrimonious shareholders' dispute.
  

Before joining Orrick, Mr. Pé was a partner in the Hong Kong office of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker where he led the litigation department. Prior to Paul Hastings, he worked with a major U.K.-based international law firm in Hong Kong and London.

In Chambers Asia, he has been described as "knowledgeable and commercial" and "particularly sought–after," in The Asia Pacific Legal 500 as "highly respected" and "very good in court" and in the PLC Dispute Resolution Handbook as "one of the region's top litigators."

CHRISTOPHER TO
Executive Committee Member, Hong Kong Corporate Counsel Association

Christopher To is currently the Secretary-General of Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators, and the Hong Kong Institute of Directors. He is a Council Member of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre and the Hong Kong Institute of Directors, a Committee Member of the Hong Kong Mediation Council, a Committee Member of the Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators and Immediate Chairman of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Committee.

In January 2007, He was awarded the Young Global Leader 2007 status by the World Economic Forum to recognise the most distinguished 250 young leaders below the age of 40 from around the world. While in 2001-2002 he was awarded Director of the Year by the Hong Kong Institute of Directors for his strive towards excellence in Corporate Governance. Mr. To is also a holder of the Practitioner’s Endorsement issued by the Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries.

WAN KWONG WENG
Group General Counsel, Asia, Infineon Technologies

WAN Kwong Weng is Group General Counsel – Asia of Infineon Technologies, a Top 10 global semiconductor company. He is responsible for all the legal and patent affairs of Infineon in Asia Pacific and Japan, together with his team. One of his recent project is the recent U$450 Million acquisition of Mobile Phone division from LSI.

Kwong Weng has a LL.B. (Hons), where he won the Wise Speke Prize, and a LL.M. (London). He also won the Justice FA Chua Prize for his Singapore Bar finals exams.

Kwong Weng started his career as a litigation lawyer in Singapore of England & Wales and has extensive negotiation and transaction work experience in the region.

WANG WENYING
Director, Arbitration Research Institute, China Chamber of International Commerce

Dr. Wang began to serve in the Department of Law of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC) upon graduation from Beijing University in 1989. She held the position of deputy Representative and Representative of CCPIT & CCOIC Hong Kong Representative Office from 1997 to 2000. She has been a research fellow in Arbitration Research Institute of CCOIC since 2001 after she got her doctoral degree of legal science (SJD) from Hong Kong University. She is the director of the Arbitration Research Institute. Dr. Wang has also served as Chair, sole arbitrator, or as a member of international and domestic arbitration panels. She has also been appointed as an expert dealing with domain name dispute cases by CIETAC Domain Name Dispute Resolution Center. Dr Wang is the editor of Arbitration and Law, a famous Chinese journal on arbitration with history of more than 20 years.