Allen & Overy (A&O) has bolstered its corporate practice with the hire of equity capital markets lawyer Kenny Kwan and public M&A lawyer Caryn Ng as partners in Singapore from Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow. 

Kwan specialises in M&A, capital markets transactions, funds and general corporate matters under Singapore law. He also has US securities law experience, acting as both issuers’ and underwriters’ counsel on US registered offerings, Rule 144A/Regulation S offerings and ADR offerings.

The move sees Kwan rejoin A&O, where he practised for eight years before leaving in 2018 to head the capital markets team at Singapore heavyweight Drew & Napier as a director. He joined Bakers in 2019 as a capital markets principal, a role equivalent to partner, and worked on matters including global energy company EDP Renovaveis' 2021 acquisition of a majority stake in Sunseap Group for $816m. 

Meantime Ng, who spent a little more than eight years at Bakers, specialises in equity capital markets and corporate finance, with a crossover interest into the private equity space. She has represented issuers and underwriters in numerous securities listings on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (SGX-ST). 

Having begun her career at Singapore firm WongPartnership, Ng joined Bakers as an associate in 2015 and became a local principal at the firm in 2021, the same year that she worked as part of the team led by Kwan that advised EDP Renovaveis on the Sunseap Group acquisition. She and Kwan were also part of a cross-border team that acted as special US counsel to the joint global coordinators, joint bookrunners and joint underwriters of Vertex Technology Acquisition Corporation, a SPAC, for its listing on the main board of the Singapore Exchange in 2022 through a SGD200m offering.  

“The appointment of Kenny and Caryn bolsters our top-tier corporate and equity capital markets offering for our clients doing business in Singapore," said Victor Ho, head of A&O’s Asia Pacific corporate practice. 

"Singapore has long been a popular choice, not only for corporate companies that wish to springboard internationally and into Southeast Asia, but also for its growing importance as a financial services and capital markets centre. The addition of Kenny and Caryn reflects the firm’s investment in the region and reinforces our position as the premier international firm offering advice on the full spectrum of corporate transactional work across the region.”

According to its website, A&O has upwards of 80 lawyers in Singapore, where Kwan and Ng will work alongside corporate and M&A partners Tom Jokelson and Shuhui Kwok and a further 15 corporate associates. 

Other recent arrivals for the firm in Asia include Melody Chan, who was White & Case's only Hong Kong litigation partner before moving over to A&O in the city in February. And in January investment funds partner Daisy Qi joined A&O's Shanghai joint operation partner firm, Lang Yue Law Firm, from Beijing-based Han Kun Law Office, shortly after antitrust specialist Vivian Cao joined in Shanghai from Linklaters Zhao Sheng. 

Following the departure of Kwan and Ng Baker McKenzie has around 45 lawyers in Singapore, according to its website. The firm was approached for comment.