Simmons & Simmons has added Michelle Phang as a partner and head of its M&A for Southeast Asia to strengthen the firm’s foothold in the region.
“With Michelle [Phang] on board, we aim to further develop relationships with clients in the funds, digital economy (including data centres and digital assets), energy and infrastructure (particularly clean energy), healthcare and financial services sectors,” Jonathan Hammond, Simmons & Simmons’ partner and Asia regional head, told Asia Business Law Journal.
Phang joins the firm from Ashurst, where she was a partner for seven years and previously spent a decade as a partner at Shook Lin & Bok Singapore. She is dual qualified in Singapore and England and Wales, and her practice covers corporates, strategic investors and funds across multiple sectors, including energy, digital economy and healthcare.
As head of M&A for Southeast Asia, Phang would lead and execute multi-jurisdictional M&A transactions, develop client relationships, and build the firm’s M&A practice in the region, said Hammond.
Hammond has observed increased M&A activity from funds with significant capital, alongside strong interest in the digital economy (AI, cybersecurity, data centres, and digital assets), energy transition, and healthcare. He further highlighted a growing need for cross-border regulatory advice.
The firm planned to leverage Phang’s experience in multi-jurisdictional transactions to deepen its bench strength in these sectors, he added.
