How did you start at Linklaters?

I joined Linklaters in Brussels where I spent 4 years, before completing a six-month secondment in Beijing and a three-month secondment to Milan. Then an exciting opportunity to work in Hong Kong for the regulator came along, to set up the new competition authority. I worked there for a while before eventually coming back to Linklaters. Now I head our practice in Hong Kong covering antitrust issues across the Asia region.

Why did you decide to become the Trainee Development Partner?

I am grateful for the support I received during the early years of my career, so I wanted to give something back the development of our trainees and is a real imperative ensuring that our talent pipeline is robust and of the highest quality. I’m happy to put in the time and effort to nurture and develop our trainees to become strong associates and hopefully, future partners.

What advice would you give someone starting their career at Linklaters?

I say this to our new trainees: the most important word for you to be thinking about is “why”. Be curious, ask questions. In your career as a lawyer, you need to continuously look for creative solutions for clients, to be more efficient, and to improve the quality of your advice and service.

What are you interested in DEI and how do you get involved at Linklaters?

When I joined Linklaters in Hong Kong, I became more vocal and open with people around me. Identity or sexual preference is not something you can see from the outside, so for many of us it's a process of coming out every day.

I am now the chair of our Asia ‘With Pride’ Committee – a network for the LGBTQIA+ community and its allies. As a firm, we have made great progress since I first joined, when the topic of sexual orientation was not a priority area for the firm. Times have quickly changed and so has the firm.

Why do you think our clients choose us?

Clients come to us for our deep sector knowledge and genuine regulatory insight. We work together seamlessly to provide the best solutions for our clients. That gives us a competitive advantage. It’s not us as partners managing our clients’ relationships single-handedly, we work as a cohesive team, across practices and offices.