20 September, 2017
The Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) has appointed Wesley Pang to the position of Managing Counsel.
Wesley, a Canadian national and Hong Kong permanent resident, comes to HKIAC after having worked for more than eight years at Shearman & Sterling LLP in the firm’s New York, Paris and London offices. His work focused primarily on international commercial and investor-State arbitrations, as well as securities and corporate litigation, and government regulatory investigations.
Wesley is a graduate of the Anglo-American dual degree law programme between King’s College London and Columbia University School of Law where he earned an LLB and JD, respectively. He also holds a BSc in Business Management from King’s College London. He is admitted to practice law in New York.
Sarah Grimmer, HKIAC’s Secretary-General says “we are very excited to have Wesley join the team. His rich experience as counsel in one of the top arbitration practices in the world and deep knowledge of the field will inform his institutional practice for the benefit of HKIAC’s users.”
Chairperson of HKIAC, Matthew Gearing, QC, says “I am delighted with the addition of Wesley to HKIAC. His background and experience will be beneficial to HKIAC as it continues to grow and evolve its dispute resolution services. I look forward to working with Wesley in his new role as Managing Counsel.”
“Wes will be a fantastic asset for HKIAC,” comments Emmanuel Gaillard, Head of International Arbitration at Shearman & Sterling. “I have worked closely with him for many years. He is a terrific lawyer and has the perfect profile for the role, combining a vast experience of international arbitration in multiple jurisdictions, and a strong sense of diplomacy. He also has a very positive, outgoing personality, which makes him a born leader. I am sure that he will be greatly appreciated by his colleagues and more generally by the arbitration community in Asia.”
Florian Cahn, General Counsel at AREVA GmbH, says “Having had the privilege of working with Wesley over several years on a challenging case, I was impressed by his clear focus, dedication, and attention to detail. Next to being an extraordinarily talented lawyer Wesley possesses strong organizational skills that will prove to be a major asset for this assignment. I have no doubt that he will contribute greatly to the work of HKIAC.”
Duncan Holland, Head of Legal at Cairn Energy PLC, says “Wesley was a hugely important member of the team advising the company in a multi-billion-dollar international arbitration. Wesley was incredibly knowledgeable, with a great attention to detail. His advice was always clear and well presented, as well as being pragmatic. Wesley was a popular member of our team and we wish him all the best in his new role at HKIAC.”
A record number of new arbitration matters have been filed with HKIAC in 2017. Wesley will join the team’s senior lawyers in overseeing the administration of arbitrations under HKIAC’s auspices. He will also support the work of the Secretary-General and HKIAC’s business development team in promoting the use of HKIAC arbitration and other forms of dispute resolution in Asia and worldwide.
