Fund financing veteran Danielle Roman will take over from Paul Christopher as managing partner of Mourant’s Hong Kong office.
Starting in August, she will oversee a team of 60 staff in the offshore firm’s only branch in China and the first branch in Asia. “I want to prioritise our team’s development, well-being and engagement because when our people thrive, our business thrives,” Roman told China Business Law Journal.
Her promotion comes two years after Mourant expanded to Singapore, at a time when many companies moved base to the Lion City from Hong Kong. Roman says the firm’s commitment to Hong Kong and mainland China remains “steadfast” and has been investing in talent and client engagement.
“Through expanding our team with a higher proportion of Mandarin-speaking lawyers and increasing the frequency of our direct marketing initiatives across key financial hubs including Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen, we are committing to a long-term strategy that we believe will deliver a commensurate return,” says Roman.
Her team is particularly focused on supporting clients in areas where demand is growing in China, including fund formation and structuring, cross-border M&A and financing, as well as restructuring and insolvency.
Roman also sees growing opportunities in China’s private wealth legal services.
Despite emerging challenges such as global geopolitical uncertainties and trade tensions, Roman said Mourant’s Hong Kong office had seen a positive recovery across key sectors since covid.
“Our litigation team has seen a rise in contentious matters for Chinese listed companies,” she said. “Additionally, we see growing activity in take-private deals, listing work and innovative fund structures across asset classes.”
As the current head of Hong Kong’s banking and finance team, Roman noticed that private credit and margin lending activities had been growing.
“Margin lending has increased, reflecting investor appetite for leveraging positions in a recovering market,” says Roman. “Green shoots are also visible in acquisition finance and real estate finance, while sustainability-linked loans are also gaining momentum.”
Her predecessor, Christopher, who has been leading the Hong Kong branch since it began operations 14 years ago, will remain in the city as a senior partner and head of the firm’s corporate and investment funds practice. Morant CEO Jonathan Rigby said Christopher was instrumental in opening the firm’s Singapore office.
