Mayer Brown appoints Hannah Ha as Asia chair

FinanceAsia reported on the ascent of Hannah Ha to chair of Mayer Brown's Asia board. 

Hannah is quoted as saying that while investors in Hong Kong are still adopting a cautious approach, the common sentiment is that the IPO market will recover in the second half of this year – particularly in the life sciences and technology sectors. The pipeline is there, but it is just a question of getting the timing right, she says.

Globally, M&A activity is down by around 40% compared to the same period in 2022, she adds, noting a reflection in Asia’s local markets. All eyes remain on China and the hope that cross-border transactions will return to a pre-pandemic level, although perhaps with a shift in emphasis from a sector and market perspective.  Hannah also says she was fully supportive of the introduction of Chapter 18C and thinks it has been a very sensible move by HKEX.