Withers has appointed partner Zhang Wei as managing director of its Hong Kong office, making her the youngest to hold this post among the firm’s 17 global offices and bolstering its growing number of women leaders.
She joins women leaders, including Withers CEO Margaret Robertson in the UK, chair Justine Markovitz in Switzerland and managing partner Deborah Barker in Singapore.
“Wealth in Asia is expected to continue to grow,” Zhang told Asia Business Law Journal. “In addition, China is the most significant legal market in the Asia-Pacific. We intend to further expand our China practice by strengthening relationships with Chinese clients and continuing the collaboration with China-focused professionals.
“Businesses in Asia continues to expand and we are seeing a marked surge in demand for high-quality legal services,” she added. “Hong Kong’s role as an international legal hub and its close integration with Greater China will see the city embrace further opportunities, with strong foundations for this growth.”
Zhang, a partner in the private client and tax team, joined the firm in 2014 and was promoted into partnership two years later. Previously, she had worked at the firm’s New York and New Haven offices as an associate since 2010.
She focuses on sophisticated tax and wealth planning matters for high net-worth individuals, their families and fiduciaries, and advising individuals with residences, assets and wealth planning vehicles in multiple jurisdictions. Zhang also advises individuals who are either migrating to, expatriating from or investing in the US, or looking to meet compliance requirements with US tax and reporting obligations.
