Mohan Pillay, the head of Pinsent Masons MPillay in Singapore, is stepping down after leading the firm for 12 years to be succeeded by partner Ian Laing. Pillay set up MPIllay in 2006 and the firm formed a joint venture with Pinsent Masons four years later. He will remain at the firm as the founding partner and focus on his work as a full-time arbitrator.
Laing, who is also the head of infrastructure practice at the firm, told Asia Business Law Journal that he would continue to focus on developing the firm’s expertise across energy, infrastructure, financial services, technology, and advising clients on climate change and sustainability strategies.
“The renewables market in Singapore and Asia Pacific is likely to change significantly in the coming years,” said Laing. “As countries transition from carbon-intensive energy generation to cleantech, we can expect to see a wealth of energy tech innovation to support ambitious net-zero targets.”
Additional challenges surrounding supply and demand would prompt renewable energy innovation, Laing said, as the industry responded to an expected doubling of energy consumption across the region by 2040.
“Coupled with these renewable energy projects, we are also likely to see the development of a number of transmission and interconnector projects to ensure a more reliable supply of electricity to customers at all times,” he said.
Arbitration and dispute resolution practice would also be the firm’s focus as Singapore continued to be a popular jurisdiction for international arbitration. Laing said a large portion of such arbitration cases were related to the energy and infrastructure sectors.
“This reflects the difficulties and uncertainties in terms of supply and the high volatility of energy and building materials prices that companies in those sectors have had to face over the past two years due to the pandemic and the recent war in Ukraine.”
