Appointment coincides with firm's 160th anniversary in HK
Global law firm Mayer Brown has appointed Hong Kong partner Hannah Ha to chair the firm’s Asia board effective June 1, 2023. She succeeds Duncan Abate, who held the role since 2016. Ha’s appointment follows her election to the eight-member global management committee and coincides with Mayer Brown’s celebration of its 160th anniversary in Hong Kong.
“Hannah is an outstanding leader of our firm who has been instrumental to the success of both our practice in Asia and the global corporate and securities practice,” said global chair Jon Van Gorp. “I am delighted to welcome Hannah to the global management committee at a significant moment for Mayer Brown…. Hannah is committed to driving the firm’s strategic vision and building upon Duncan’s work, [whom] I would like to thank for his leadership and commitment over the past seven years.”
Ha previously served as co-leader of Mayer Brown’s corporate and securities practice and on the firm’s partnership board. She built her expertise as a corporate lawyer in Mainland China and Hong Kong’s most highly regulated sectors and is particularly adept at handling merger control issues related to complex, cross-border M&As in China.
Ha is a China-appointed attesting officer and a notary public in Hong Kong and a staunch advocate of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at Mayer Brown.
Commenting on her new role, Ha said that Mayer Brown continued to maintain a unique position to advise leading companies and financial institutions across the globe, especially in each of the world’s three largest financial centres – Hong Kong, London, and New York, where Mayer Brown has a dedicated team of approximately 200 lawyers each.
“[Our] 160th anniversary in Hong Kong is testament to our long-term commitment to the Greater Bay area, where we increasingly support our local client base through our global practice, including in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America,” Ha said. “I look forward to working with the global management committee and leading the firm in Asia alongside our senior partner for the region, Terence Tung, as we celebrate 160 years of delivering excellence in Asia.”
Earlier this year, Mayer Brown became the first joint law venture in Singapore since November 2016 when it partnered with Singapore’s PK Wong & Nair. The firm said it planned to double its headcount in the city-state over the next two years.
“Hannah’s appointment is an exciting new chapter to our 160-year story in Hong Kong and Asia,” said Hong Kong senior partner Terence Tung. “2023 has been a successful year for our practice across the region as we continue to grow with our clients and serve the broader community. I look forward to working with Hannah in her new role as we build on this momentum across Asia and celebrate our progress alongside the development of the city where we were founded in 1863.”
