People

Lena is a Partner with the firm’s Nationwide Business Unit based in the firm’s Penang branch and advises on all aspects of local and foreign clients with respect to broad range of sale, purchase, management and leasing of commercial, industrial and residential properties in Malaysia.

She represents and advises real estate developers on various aspects of their projects in Malaysia.

Lena also advises on general conveyancing, corporate loans, conventional and Islamic banking and asset based financing. She is also well verse in the documentation in respect of government loans.

She had advised public companies in various aspect of structuring financing, real estate developers in application of various licenses with the relevant authorities. She also advised in setting up of various Real Estate Investment Trusts.

Lena is also actively involved in advising clients in respect of their intellectual property protection.

She has been appointed as Legal Adviser for Penang Electrical Merchant Association and secretary of FIABCI Malaysia, Penang Branch.

Lena is an adviser to the Quality Management Representative of Penang branch and has initiated and implemented the branch’s Quality Management System with the vision to drive the branch to attain the status of the first legal firm in Penang with ISO certification.

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Hon Cheong was called to the Bar in 1995 and currently heads the Human Capital Services practice in Zaid Ibrahim & Co.

From the advisory and transactional perspective, he has advised on employment issues in some of the largest merger and acquisition projects in the country. He also works closely on a regular basis with international law firms and multinational organisations, dealing with employment issues for Malaysia in global or regional corporate exercises.

His clients include multinationals insectors such as automotive, hospitality, services, manufacturing, consulting and financial services. Hon Cheong also represents a wide variety of corporate clients in industrial relations and employment disputes at the Industrial Court and appellate courts. More recently, he has been engaged in providing advice on social issues arising from ESG compliance such as modern slavery and anti-harassment.

From the litigation perspective, Hon Cheong is a well-regarded and regular personality at the Industrial Court conducting cases for a wide range of corporate clients. He also has extensive experience in handling judicial review proceedings and appeals at the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court. His litigation experience cuts across a wide range of employment matters that include unjust dismissal claims, trade disputes and collective bargaining.

After being called to the Bar in 1995, Hon Cheong commenced practice as an Advocate and Solicitor with a well-known senior employment law practitioner. He joined Zaid Ibrahim & Co. in 2003 and became a partner of the firm in 2006.

Whilst his initial years of practice involved general litigation, Hon Cheong made a decision early on in his career to specialise in employment and industrial relations matters. Since then, he has gained extensive experience in his preferred area of work advising and representing a wide range of clients.

Hon Cheong is also often sought to participate in speaking engagements on employment laws, including at conferences organised by local and regional conference organisers. He also regularly contributes articles to international and regional publications working in tandem with foreign law firms. Since 2011, Hon Cheong has been named as a ranked individual under “Employment & Industrial Relations” in Chambers Asia Pacific.

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Nurul is a senior associate with the Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice group at Zaid Ibrahim & Co.

She frequently advises clients in the field of corporate and commercial matters, including franchise law, competition law, technology and communications, and personal data protection.

Nurul frequently advises clients, both foreign and local on franchise registration in Malaysia, structuring of franchise businesses and general franchise law compliance. Nurul led the team for several successful foreign franchisor registrations with the Registrar of Franchises.

Nurul also advises foreign and local clients on its data protection system for compliance with local data protection law, advising clients in instances of data breaches and appearing before the regulator when clients are called for interviews by the regulator.

Nurul led the team that filed several exemption applications for joint business arrangements to the Malaysian Aviation Commission, involving a Malaysian aircraft carrier.

Recognised as one of the leading corporate and mergers & acquisition lawyers in Malaysia, Kar Han is well versed in advising clients on a broad spectrum of corporate, commercial and financial transactions.  He has advised some notable takeovers of listed companies, mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring as well as debt and equity issues.

He also has extensive experience in advising domestic as well as foreign direct investors in cross-border transactions.

Patricia advises domestic and international investors on property acquisitions, disposals, sale and leaseback, leases and tenancies. Patricia has advised on property transactions involving mixed developments, shopping malls, office blocks, serviced apartments and factories. Patricia also advises on general banking matters particularly in corporate loans, trade financing and Islamic financing.

Patricia began her career as a pupil with Messrs Skrine, Kuala Lumpur in 2005. She then chambered with Messrs Lawrence Chai & Peter Soong, Sabah. Prior to joining Zaid Ibrahim & Co, Penang in 2012, Patricia was previously with Zaid Ibrahim & Co, Kuala Lumpur whereby her area of practice was mainly on debt capital markets transactions and syndicated loans.

Some of Patricia’s key engagement include:

• Advised Aeon REIT Investment Corporation Japan on the acquisition and leaseback of a portion of Aeon Taman Universiti Shopping Centre valued at RM20 million.
• Advised Lepu Medical Technology (Beijing) Co Ltd on the acquisition of an industrial land for the sum of RM58 million.
• Advised Motorola Solutions Malaysia Sdn Bhd on the disposal and leaseback of a portion of an industrial.
• Advised Lam Research International Sdn Bhd on the acquisition and lease of several industrial lands.
• Advised Air Products Malaysia Sdn Bhd on the acquisition and lease of several industrial lands.

Anita is the Partner managing the Motor Insurance Practice in the Penang office of Zaid Ibrahim & Co.

Anita has extensive experience and knowledge on motor insurance and non-motor insurance claims. She has advised and litigated matters pertaining to accident claims, premium claims and also on the area of fire, theft, flood and subrogation matters. She has also extensive experience in civil litigation which includes banking and commercial related matters.

Her frequent presence in the Court has exposed her to various temperaments and styles of most judges and practitioners both in Penang and across Malaysia which experience has enabled her to become an astute litigator without compromising her high level of integrity, prudence and mutual respect for the bench and the Bar.

Anita has been actively in practice for the past 25 years.  She completed her pupillage under the guidance of a reputable senior counsel Datuk Jagjit Singh at Messrs. Jagjit Singh & Co in Kuala Lumpur, where she had the privilege of acquiring and mastering the practice of a wide range of technical and contentious matters.

Anita started her legal career with Messrs Othman Hashim & Co in Kuala Lumpur in 1999, specializing in motor insurance and non-motor insurance claims. She joined Messrs Tang Khye Kian & Co in Penang in January 2004 specializing in motor insurance claims.

Anita joined Zaid Ibrahim & Co in October 2004 and is presently the Partner of the firm based in Penang.

Key Engagements

• Advised various insurance companies and litigated matters pertaining to motor accident claims, premium claims and also on the area of fire, theft, flood and subrogation matters.
• Advised insurance companies and litigated cases relating to Public Policy matters.
• Advised various insurance companies and litigated cases pertaining to Intervener Applications and Declaration proceedings.

Jo-Shua heads the Litigation Practice Group of Zaid Ibrahim & Co. (Penang) which comprises the General Litigation Team, Banking Recovery Team, and Motor Insurance Team with offices also in Johor Bahru and Kota Bahru. With extensive experience in high-stakes litigation across all levels of courts, he offers exceptional legal representation bolstered by a strong commercial and business acumen. Jo-Shua’s practice spans commercial litigation, banking litigation and restructuring & insolvency. He also practices in the niche areas of strata management and employment disputes.  

Jo-Shua completed his pupillage at Zaid Ibrahim & Co. in 2012 and was thereafter retained in the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. He was made Senior Associate in 2016 and promoted to Partner in January 2020. In July 2024, Jo-Shua was appointed the head of the Litigation Practice Group of the Penang branch.

Key Engagements

Commercial Litigation

• Acted for a public-listed company to secure a favourable settlement of approximately USD 2 million relating to the export of its goods to a buyer in the Middle East.
• Acted for a latex glove manufacturer in a dispute of a contract for the supply of gloves to be exported to USA valued at over USD 12 million.
• Acted for an IT-solutions service provider in a contractual dispute with the concession holder of smart parking system awarded by the state government.
• Acted for shareholders in a boardroom tussle culminating in various actions across multiple jurisdictions, including an action for minority oppression, an action to void transfer of shares, and a counter-action for specific performance of sale of balance shares.  
• Acted for a group of investors to recover losses of investment against a public company running an investment scheme totalling over RM1 billion.
• Acted for a prominent family in Penang in an inheritance dispute involving land valued at over RM100 million where the matter was litigated up until the Federal Court.
• Acted for a local exporter of goods in a tri-partite dispute instituted against it by an international shipping line for accrued port charges due to non-collection of goods by the buyer at the port of discharge.
• Acted for a company in the marine, oil& gas industry headquartered in Oman in relation to tenancy dispute of its local factory premises.
• Acted for the main contractor of a hotel development in Langkawi to recover debt owed to it by the developer which culminated in multiple actions including an injunction against the auction of the land, a s.405 Companies Act 2016 judicial management application, and a challenge of the private caveat.
• Acted for a large hospitality chain in a contractual dispute with its car park operator leading to multiple court actions.

Banking Litigation

• Acted for various banks in all types of debt recovery including all modes of execution of judgments in consumer, commercial and hire-purchase financing.
• Acted for a bank in resisting a claim by its customer alleging shortfall of interests paid on over 50 fixed deposit accounts maintained by the customer over the period of close to a decade.
• Acted for a bank in a class action suit brought against it by persons claiming equitable interest on the land foreclosed by the bank. The matter which involved arguments pertaining s.340 of the National Land Code 1965 on indefeasibility of title was litigated up to the Federal Court.
• Acting for various banks in forfeiture of property (FOP) matters under the Dangerous Drugs (Forfeiture of Property) Act 1988.
• Regularly advise banks pertaining court orders served on them including discovery orders, injunctions, and garnishee orders.

Insolvency & Restructuring

• Acted for a Malaysian conglomerate to secure a court sanction in a s.366 Companies Act 2016 Scheme of Arrangement restructuring exercise involving assets over RM1billion.
• Acted for Private Trustees appointed pursuant to Singaporean court order to secure a recognition of Bankruptcy Order in Malaysian court pertaining the bankrupt’s estate in Malaysia.
• Acted for a multinational corporation in the restructuring and winding-down of its 40-year operations in Penang which involved thousands of employees.
• Acted for the family of a bankrupt individual in multiple actions instituted by creditors against the family to void the transfer of properties to the family prior to bankruptcy.
• Acted for a commercial bank headquartered in Beijing in a contested receivership application.

Fraud& Asset Recovery

• Acted for a multinational corporation to recover losses suffered due to fraud and embezzlement perpetrated jointly by the former plant manager together with suppliers.
• Acted for a distributor of FMCG products to recover losses arising from fraud by its customer in conjunction with a third party.
• Acted for a logistics service platform in successfully recovering losses arising from an exploitation over the course of several months by an e-commerce vendor against a loophole in the platform.

Insurance

• Acted for a large Japanese insurer in its claim against a Malaysian conglomerate for contamination of food products imported into Japan causing recalls and losses in excess of USD 20 million.
• Acted for a local insurer and highway concessionaire in public liability cases in the northern region of Peninsular Malaysia.

Strata Management

• Acted for a proprietor of a distinct component within a stratified mixed development to argue departure from the principle of ‘one rate for all’ to secure marginally lower maintenance charges and contribution to sinking fund payable to the Joint Management Body / Management Corporation by the proprietor.

Employment Law

• Acted for a multinational corporation in an unfair dismissal claim all the way to the Federal Court, successfully arguing the point that compensation in lieu of reinstatement shall not be payable to the former employee since reinstatement is no longer possible due to the closure of the Penang plant of the multinational corporation.
• Acted for a former employee in a claim for constructive dismissal involving elements of sexual harassment and bullying.

Injunctive Reliefs

• Acted for an integrated circuit (IC) design startup to secure an urgent Spring board Injunction to prohibit a former employee from bringing over proprietary information valued at over USD 100 million to its competitor.
• Acted as Supervising Solicitor in an Interim Preservation of Property (IPP) exercise against a gold retailer chain conducted simultaneously at its stores across Peninsular Malaysia.
• Acted for a European company in the medical imaging field in resisting an application for Fortuna injunction.

Lik Kiang is a Partner in the Litigation practice group of Zaid Ibrahim & Co.’s office in Penang. Lik Kiang’s practice focuses on Debt Recovery Litigation, where she has acted for most of the major financial institutions in Malaysia and major corporations in debt recovery actions (both conventional loans and Islamic financing), enforcement proceedings, foreclosure, insolvency and winding-up matters in relation to corporate and commercial loans, retail banking and hire-purchase. Lik Kiang has also acted for and advised a multinational corporation on the termination of all its vendor contracts in relation to the shutting down of its 40-yearoperations in Penang.

Lik Kiang commenced her pupillage in the chambers of Zaid Ibrahim & Co. Upon completion of her pupillage, she was retained by the firm and joined as an Associate in August 2014. She has been a Senior Associate in the firm since 2017 and was promoted to Partner in 2024.

Key Engagements

• Acted for a multinational corporation in the shutting down of its 40-year operations in Penang. Reviewed and advised on the termination of vendor contracts (worth more than RM50 million) in relation to the exercise.
• Acted as Supervising Solicitor in an Interim Preservation of Property (IPP) exercise against a gold retailer chain.
• Acted for an international bank in a recovery action against a company amounting toRM30 million.
• Appointed by a major local bank to draft, review and negotiate tenancy agreements for all its branches in Malaysia.
• Represented most of the major local and international banks in Malaysia in debt recovery actions and developed commercially-oriented strategies to resolve disputes and to secure favourable outcomes for clients.

Wei Min is a director in the firm’s Corporate and Private Equity/Funds practice and the firm’s Director of Client Solutions where she focuses on solutions for the firm’s broad spectrum of clients. She specialises in cross border corporate and commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, private equity and funds. Having been with the firm for more than24 years, she has advised extensively on corporate M&As in various sectors and built up the firm’s private equity/funds expertise where she advises on the establishment and structuring of funds, both onshore and offshore, as well as the regulatory issues surrounding fund structures. She was instrumental inleading the firm’s engagement with the Labuan Financial Services Authority in its law reform work in 2007 to 2010 resulting in its current laws today. She also heads the firm’s China desk. Prior to the firm’s formal association with KPMG Law in 2022, she was with the ZICO Law Network in various roles in both legal and trust company business in Malaysia, Singapore, Malaysia and Labuan. 

Key Engagements

• Advised Savills (SEA) Pte Ltd on their acquisition of the property valuation business of CB Richard Ellis (Malaysia) Sdn.Bhd., CB Richard Ellis (KL) Sdn.Bhd., CB Richard Ellis (Penang) Sdn.Bhd., CB Richard Ellis (Johor) Sdn.Bhd. and CB Richard Ellis (Project Management) Sdn.Bhd (2015).  
• Advised International Schools Partnership on the acquisition of the Tenby secondary schools (8 branches) in Malaysia (2017) via a Labuan charitable structure as well as on the acquisition of the Asia Pacific schools (2 branches) (2018). 
• Advised Zensho Holdings Co Ltd on the business acquisition of Ichiban Food & Beverages (M) Sdn.Bhd., Shabu Ryu Ramen (M) Sdn.Bhd. and Tenya (M) Sdn.Bhd, being the chain of Ichiban restaurants in Malaysia (2018). 
• Advised Zensho Holdings Co., Ltd. On the purchase of 100% stake in TCRS Restaurants Sdn Bhd, which owns the restaurants under the brand “The Chicken Rice Shop” with approximately 100 outlets throughout Malaysia (2019).  
• Advised Asahi Holdings Southeast Asia Sdn Bhd in the acquisition of Advend Systems Pte Ltd. Asahi is a company that manufactures, distributes and markets some of the leading Halal beverages in Malaysia and Singapore. Some of the brands include Pepsi, Mirinda,7Up, Calpis, Wonda, Goodday and more (2019). 
• Assisted Tesla Inc. on regulatory framework for potential market entry into Indonesia as part of larger ASEAN market entry (2022 – 2023). 
• Advised Merx Holdings SG (Savills subsidiary) on the acquisition of PMCC Actus Sdn Bhd which is in the business of project management for real estate (2024). 
• Advised DRB-Hicom Berhad (one of Malaysia’s largest government linked companies which owns the national car Proton) in its joint venture with Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. Ltd (Chinese conglomerate) for the development of the Automotive High-Technology Valley in Tanjong Malim, Perak Malaysia (2024). 
• Advised Penjana Kapital in the set up of Labuan private funds with selected fund managers pursuant to the Malaysian Government’s economic stimulus initiatives(2021).  
• AdvisedPrincipal group in the set up of a wholesale fund registered under the Lodgeand Launch Framework of the Securities Commission of Malaysia. This fund isunique as the first real property Shariah-compliant fund focused on UnitedStates real property (2021). 
• Advised Blue Orchard, Finnish Fund for industrial Cooperation Ltd and Women’s World Banking Group in their Series B investments into Axinan Pte Ltd, which owns the “Igloo” insurtech platform in ASEAN (2022).  
• Advised Axinan Pte Ltd, owner of the “Igloo” insurtech platform in ASEAN, in its Series C approximately USD46 million primary and secondary fundraising exercise from sophisticated investors and subsequent shareholding arrangements(2023).  
• Advised Gaia Investment Partners in the Malaysian aspects of the structuring of a target fund size USD700 million private equity fund (2024). 

Eunice is well-versed in all aspects of conventional and Islamic banking documentation, encompassing both consumer and corporate banking.

She has also advised and assisted in the drafting of security documentation for local and foreign banks.

She has handled various domestic and cross-border financing and securitisation for corporate borrowings, project financing and ship financing. Eunice also advises local and foreign clients on general conveyancing, corporate loans, domestic and cross-border property transactions and commercial transactions.

Before joining the firm, Eunice was a partner at Messrs Chor Pee Anwarul & Company where she handled the portfolio for banking & finance, property transactions and commercial agreements.

Stanley is a Senior Associate with the Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice group at Zaid Ibrahim & Co.

Stanley has experience representing and advising clients in various corporate and commercial matters including intellectual property, franchise registration, personal data protection, telecommunications, media, technology and competition law. He has advised clients from different industries, including consumer products, pharmaceutical, retail, luxury goods, food & beverage, automotive, hospitality, information technology and service providers that are based in multiple jurisdictions around the world. He has participated in anti-counterfeiting and enforcement programmes for various brand owners.

Stanley also has litigation experience and has represented clients in a number of litigation cases in the High Court and appellate courts in Malaysia.

He is currently a registered trademark agent in Malaysia.

Farina has considerable experience in advising local and foreign clients on acquisition and disposal of residential, industrial and commercial properties. She advises clients on a broad range of banking and commercial documentation including conventional and islamic financing. She is experienced in conducting due diligence on real property and liaises with the relevant authorities with regard to proposed developments and assists our clients with applications for the necessary approvals required prior to development and sales.

Farina facilitated in advising local and foreign investors pertaining to the developments in the Iskandar Development Region. She is well versed in matters relating to strata development and in particular strata management and the efficient structuring of strata schemes. She advises on subdivision applications, formation of Joint Management Bodies and Management Corporations and assists developers with planning for the handover of the strata management to these entities.

Farina started her career first by joining the firm as a Trainee Associate, where upon completion of her pupillage, she was retained in the Commercial Business Unit in 2013 as an Associate. She was promoted to Senior Associate in January 2016. In January 2022, she was promoted to Partner in the firm.

Geraldine is a corporate commercial and transactional M&A lawyer with a practice area in several sectors i.e telecommunications, trade, agriculture, hospitality, tourism and technology. She has undertaken numerous transactional M&A matters, including as lead solicitor and negotiator leading to accolades in various legal publications including Chambers where she is a Band 2 Practitioner and in Asian Legal Business’ Annual 40 under 40 list in 2018 which profiles Asia’s most accomplished lawyers under 40 for her work in a high-value telecommunications joint-venture in the ASEAN region, valued at USD 1.7 billion.

Geraldine returned to the partnership at Zaid Ibrahim & Co after having been seconded to the former ZICO Law ASEAN offices in Myanmar, Thailand and thereafter, to KPMG Law in Vietnam in Cambodia in approximately the last 10 years combined. Geraldine brings with her significant on the ground and hands-on regional and cross-border experience having undertaken several significant transactions and award-winning deals in ASEAN. Prior to relocating to the various ASEAN offices, Geraldine practiced in Malaysia for several years where she started her career in disputes and has several reported judgments involving corporate commercial matters, breach of contract, facility defaults and shareholder tussles.

Representative experience

• Lead counsel and advisor to a Myanmar consortium on the transaction documents in a joint venture company with Viettel Global Investment Joint Stock Company for the operation of a Fourth Telecoms provider in Myanmar with an investment value of approximately USD 1.7 billion.
• Lead counsel and advisor to a Myanmar conglomerate in negotiating the transactional documents for a joint-venture with a consortium of 3 Japanese companies in the development of a mixed-used real estate project with a gross development value of USD 332.5 million.
• Lead counsel and advisor for sell-side in an M&A transaction involving the acquisition of shares in a Myanmar bank by a foreign Thai bank seeing equity participation being a “first” of such transactions involving foreign bank participation in Myanmar.
• Acted for a Chinese SOE in the negotiation of a Turnkey EPC contract and contractor financing security package for the construction and development of a 50mW (Phase 1) solar power plant in central Myanmar.
• Assisting buy-side being a Hong-Kong based private equity firm in its contemplated acquisition transaction of a locally based telecommunications company in the fiber optics industry responsible for the national back bone fiber lap spanning thousands of kilometers in Myanmar.
• Advising a Fortune 500 Company in relation to law reform of local regulations for law enforcement access of data in its data centers in Thailand.
• Advising an automotive parts manufacturer listed on the Thailand Stock Exchange on its joint-venture transaction documents with a German automotive parts manufacturer to produce specialized exhaust pipes in Thailand.
• Advising a global cloud computing company on regulatory matters under the Telecommunications Law 2009 and Telecommunications Law 2023 for the provision of a suite of cloud computing services Vietnam.
• Acting as lead counsel for an MNC beer company in the acquisition of an alcohol distribution business in Cambodia.

Ang Siak Keng is a partner in the firm’s regional Corporate Commercial practice group. He also leads a team of Corporate Commercial partners operating from the Penang office covering a full suite of corporate and commercial-related practice areas including mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt capital markets, debt and corporate restructuring, private equity, venture capital, real estate and property development, corporate finance and banking, competition and antirust, commercial regulatory compliance and employment.

Ang’s personal area of focus is mergers and acquisitions, foreign direct investments and equity capital markets. He has led numerous domestic and cross-border transactions relating to private acquisitions and divestments, public takeovers, IPOs and private fund/capital raising, and has assisted numerous multinationals, foreign investors (especially China-SOEs) and leading domestic businesses in structuring their Greenfield investments including negotiating joint venture and strategic alliance and developing boutique commercial arrangements. Ang’s commercial experience spans across many industry spaces including, IT, telecommunications, manufacturing, education and healthcare.

Together with his team, Ang also regularly advises financial institutions, multinationals and property developers on structuring their credit and financing facilities (including multi-jurisdictional, syndicated and offshore loans) and the acquisition, disposal, lease and management of their real estate assets.

• Advised a China-SOE on a joint venture with a Malaysian private entity for the development of reclaimed land in Penang Island valued at MYR1.1billion
• Advised a Malaysian property developer in its cross-border restructuring and listing on the SGX Catalist market with a market capitalisation of SGD200million
• Advised a US-based global dairy franchise on its reverse takeover of a Malaysian Bursa-listed company at a valuation of MYR310million
• Advised a public-listed company on its acquisition of a state telecommunication infrastructure and back-end services provider for MYR222million
• Represented a webhosting service provider, as lead counsel, on its acquisition of an Indonesian webhosting service provider at a valuation of IDR65billion
• Advised a lighting technology multinational on a two-phase disposal of land and government-lease (simultaneously with a leaseback) valued at MYR180million to a public listed-REIT including structuring interim acquisition options for capital markets law and local authority regulatory compliance
• Represented founders of webhosting company on their divestment of ~40% stake to a government-linked investment fund at enterprise value of MYR150million
• Advised a consortium of corporate purchasers, guarantors and security providers on their joint acquisition of agriculture land together with a simultaneous and multi-tiered back-to-back sale with seven purchasers for MYR300million
• Advised an investment holding group on the takeover and privatisation of its public-listed company for MYR110million and its attendant share capital restructuring
• Advised a public-listed company in its financial reconstruction programme consisting of capital and debt restructuring (including negotiation of debt settlement with creditors) and fresh fund raising and acquisition of ongoing business valued at MYR55million
• Advised a theme park operator in its cross-border restructuring and listing on the SGX Catalist market with a market capitalisation of SGD30million
• Represented founders and medical professionals of an aesthetic specialist medical centre on the disposal of its business at a valuation of MYR30million
• Advised an Australian university on a joint venture for the establishment of its foreign branch campus in Malaysia
• Advised a public-listed entity on its investment into a private international education group valued at MYR32million

Amin has advised clients and stakeholders on energy and infrastructure projects for close to twenty years. He is a subject matter expert on legal and strategic issues surrounding electricity, oil and gas, coal and also renewable energy. Amin has also been active in the drafting and negotiation of engineering and construction contracts and concession agreements for expressways, rail transport and water treatment.

Amin is familiar with legislative reform having assisted in the drafting of the Malaysian Renewable Energy Act 2011 and its subsidiary legislation and also Malaysia’s recent attempt to enact an energy efficiency statute.

Beyond Malaysia, Amin has advised on power generation projects in Myanmar, Cambodia and Kazakhstan. Amin was also a country representative in negotiations for ASEAN’s regional power grid.

Amin Abdul Majid was a Tenaga Nasional Foundation scholar and served in the national electricity utility as head of the legal unit of the Planning Division prior to joining Zaid Ibrahim & Co in 2011. He was also a litigation lawyer in a medium-sized firm before his stint in Tenaga Nasional Berhad.

Gilbert is the Managing Partner of Zaid Ibrahim & Co.  He is recognised as one of Malaysia’s top 100 lawyers by Asia Business Law, and is regarded by the International Financial Law Review, Chambers & Partners and Asia Law Profiles as a leading lawyer. The Asia Pacific Legal 500 has described him as a first-class practitioner.

Corporate exercises undertaken include:

• Take-Overs and Mergers of public companies including reverse take-overs, and Acquisitions and Disposals of private companies and businesses.
• Corporate Restructurings.
• Listings and other equity capital raising on Bursa Malaysia and regional stock exchanges.
• Exchange Traded Derivatives such as Structured Warrants.
• Exchange Traded Funds (ETF), Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), Private Equity Funds, Unit Trusts and other Collective Investment Fund schemes.
• Joint Ventures and Foreign Direct Investments.

Gilbert is a senior Malaysian corporate and equity capital markets legal professional with more than 2 decades of advisory and transactional experience in Malaysia and other ASEAN jurisdictions on a wide range of complex and high-profile matters.  His clients include major government-linked companies, global and regional corporations as well as financial institutions.

Some of his key engagements are:

• Advising Telenor in its proposed acquisition of and merger with the telecommunications business of Axiata by way of an asset acquisition, considered to be the largest telco sector merger in Malaysian history.
• Advising MBSB Bank on its proposed acquisition and merger with MIDF Group.
• Advised RBS group on its proposed sale by auction of its Malaysian financial subsidiaries and subsequent winding down in Malaysia.
• Advised RHB financial group on its successful restructuring and listing transfer from RHB Capital Berhad to RHB Bank Berhad, which included a rights issue and regulatory approvals to be obtained in 7 countries.
• Advising Affin Holdings Berhad on its restructuring and listing transfer.
• Advising RHB financial group on its proposed RM37 billion merger with AmBank group.
• Advised listed RHB financial services group in its proposed public acquisition and merger with listed CIMB financial services group and listed MBSB, to form Malaysia’s largest Islamic financial group, and largest domestic financial services group with potential market capitalisation in excess of RM80 billion.

Khoo Kay Ping is the Partner managing the Penang Litigation Practice and advises on general civil and banking litigation, as well as motor insurance.

He is the author of Khoo’s Law and Practice of Bankruptcy in Malaysia published by LexisNexis (1^st edition – 2000; 2^nd edition – 2003) and the creator of a computer program called Civil Appeals Step by Step (2002). He also co-authored the Malaysian Chapter in Getting the Deal Through – Restructuring & Insolvency published by Law Business Research Ltd, UK for the 2011, 2012 and 2013 editions.

Before joining the firm, he was a Partner in Messrs. John Ang & Jega, Johor Bahru, specialising in motor insurance claims. He then joined as a Partner in Messrs. Tan & Lee, Johor Bahru, specializing in civil litigation in particular debt recovery.

Lynna Tan is a partner in the Corporate Commercial practice group.

Lynna’s main area of focus is real estate and corporate finance. She has assisted multinationals, both foreign and domestic, with the acquisition, disposal, leasing, and restructuring of their real property assets, and advised property developers in the management and development of land (including structuring of financing facilities). Her experience spans all aspects of property development and management including real estate due diligence, residential and hotel management and multi-state local authority regulatory compliance.

Lynna has also advised on joint venture property developments (both foreign inbound and domestic), cross-border Ringgit and foreign offshore banking facilities and regulatory compliance for foreign direct investment.

• Advised a lighting technology multinational on a two-phase disposal of land and government-lease (simultaneously with a leaseback) valued at MYR180million to a public listed-REIT including structuring interim acquisition options for capital markets law and local authority regulatory compliance
• Advised a consortium of corporate purchasers, guarantors and security providers on their joint acquisition of agriculture land together with a simultaneous and multi-tiered back-to-back sale with seven purchasers for MYR300million
• Represented lessee in negotiating dispute with local authority for the elimination of a MYR5.14million dollar consent fee required for the sub-lease of land and led negotiations in coordination with lessor for a reduction of consent fee for transfer of land rights from MYR20million to MYR450,000
• Advised an investment fund on the acquisition of a real property company and the development of its real estate assets into service residences and negotiated its management and technical services programme with a global luxury hotel management brand
• Advised a Malaysian commercial bank in respect of its MYR80million bridging facility to a development group for the construction of its residential property project
• Assisted a foreign national bank with the preparation and drafting of legal documentation for its credit facilities, offshore banking services, internal processes, and derivatives and foreign exchange products in Malaysia
• Advised a subsidiary of a public listed company on its development of the first and only Build-Own-Operate-Transfer palm fibre oil extraction plant in Malaysia
• Advised a public-listed company on its joint venture to develop a technology park for machine automation with state developer
• Advised a Malaysian commercial bank in structuring an interim-replaceable real estate security for its MYR13.6million credit facility

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Angeline advises on matters relating to real estate, property, wills and succession. Her experience in legal practice covers a variety of areas spanning sale and purchase of property, probate and administration, as well as management and leasing of commercial, industrial and residential properties in Malaysia. She has also advised property developers in various aspects of their projects and developments. In addition, she advises on banking matters for conventional and corporate loans, including government loans and Islamic financing.

Angeline commenced legal practice in 2006. Prior to joining the firm as an Associate in 2009, she worked as a Legal Assistant with a well-known medium-sized firm in Penang. During her early years of practice, she was actively involved with the Bar Council's National Young Lawyers Committee and has had several articles published on the Malaysian Bar's website. Angeline was also the Honorary Secretary of the Penang Bar for the term 2008-2009.

Some of Angeline’s key engagements include:

• Advised Agilent Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd on the sale of industrial buildings and land valued at RM95M
• Advised Real Billion Holdings Sdn Bhd on acquisition of development land valued at RM83M
• Advised Genting Properties Sdn Bhd on disposal of development land, agriculture land in Kedah including a golf course valued at RM60M
• Advised KV Distributors Sdn Bhd on the acquisition of industrial land and building valued at RM15M for the purpose of group consolidation of assets by its holding company
• Advised DHL Properties (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd on sale and leaseback of a logistics warehouse complex (sale at RM48M and leaseback at RM23M for 5 years)

Jean’s main areas of practice include corporate commercial, mergers and acquisitions, foreign direct investments, regulatory compliance, private equity and general legal advisory. She assists in various corporate matters by conducting legal due diligence exercises, drafting and reviewing contracts and other transaction documents, advising clients on their legal queries, and handling closing and post-closing matters for M&A transactions.

Jean joined Zaid Ibrahim & Co as a Trainee Associate in 2021 and was subsequently retained as an Associate upon completion of her pupillage.

Some of her key engagements:

• Acted for DRB-HICOM Berhad in a joint venture with Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd. in respect of the development of the Automotive High Technology Valley (AHTV) in Tanjung Malim.
• Advised Allgreen Properties Ltd., the real estate arm of Kuok Group, on its acquisition of 70% stake in Johor Bahru City Square Mall for approximately RM 850 million.
• Advised Tesla, Inc. on its market entry into Malaysia.
• Acted for Basis Bay in a joint venture with ST Telemedia Global Data Centres in respect of the development, construction and operation of data centre projects in Kuala Lumpur and Cyberjaya.
• Acted for Bintang Capital Partners, the private equity arm of AHAM Asset Management, in its investment into Involve Asia Group. The USD 10 million investment round was led by Bintang Capital Partners and supported by other co-investors.
• Advising a few private equity players on registration with the Securities Commission Malaysia as private equity management corporations.

Izahar is a Partner and Head of the Government Advisory practice group at Zaid Ibrahim & Co (in association with KPMG Law).

His practice focuses in the area of regulatory reform. This includes advising Federal and State Governments including Ministries, regulators, and statutory bodies on the ‘end-to-end’ law reform spectrum ranging from regulatory mapping, undertaking feasibility studies, conducting Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA), assisting in the drafting of primary and subsidiary legislations, and implementing regulatory frameworks.

Specifically in relation to RIA, Izahar has been involved in all stages of the RIA process for both Malaysia Productivity Corporation and regulators. For Malaysia Productivity Corporation, Izahar has reviewed and assessed Regulatory Notification Forms and Regulatory Impact Statements, conducted RIA training to Ministry and Agencies, and been involved in reviewing the RIA related documentation including among others the National Policy on Good Regulatory Practice (“NPGRP”), the Best Practice Regulation Handbook 2.0 and the revised Guideline on Public Consultation Procedures. For Regulators, Izahar has acted as a RIA consultant in undertaking RIA and on request conducted training on RIA.

He has also been involved in post-law reform work through his experience in compliance and governance with legal awareness initiatives, advising on regulatory compliance, developing legal audit programmes, and advising on rationalization, privatization, and corporatization exercises.

At the same time, his practice includes providing strategic and legal support to private sector clients interested in engaging the Government in policy development and reform. This includes industry proposals to amend or introduce new legislation as well as complex and novel regulatory applications and approvals.

Izahar is a co-author for “Corporate Governance and Ethics in Malaysia”, published by Thomson Reuters which provides an overview of general principles relating to corporate governance and ethics in Malaysia both from the public and private sector perspective.

Izahar joined Zaid Ibrahim & Co as a Senior Associate in 2014 and became a Partner in 2018.  Prior to joining the firm, Izahar practiced at an established law firm in Kuala Lumpur in the areas of corporate commercial, and energy & utilities.

Jonathan is a corporate partner at Zaid Ibrahim & Co. with considerable experience in areas such as Fintech, venture capital, blockchain technology, payment systems, digital remittance, and initial coin offerings. His involvement in the Fintech sector also extends to advising clients on compliance matters relating to regulatory developments in the industry as set out by the Malaysian central bank (Bank Negara Malaysia) and the Malaysian Securities Commission.

Jonathan is also well versed in advising both local and foreign clients on corporate transactions including mergers and acquisitions, corporate structuring, initial public offerings, takeovers as well as private funds, and has been involved in several landmark corporate transactions. Jonathan also has experience in advising start-ups and venture capital corporations on matters ranging from compliance to funding agreements.

As an active supporter of the financial technology fraternity, Jonathan also currently serves as Secretary of the Fintech Association of Malaysia wherein he assists in developing the burgeoning sector’s growth here in Malaysia and the region. In addition, Jonathan also acts as legal counsel and mentor of Founders Institute (a pre-seed start-up accelerator with a presence in over 180 cities worldwide), a company that aims to promote effective and long term digital transformation in the legal industry in Malaysia.

Prior to joining Zaid Ibrahim & Co., Jonathan was a corporate partner at a Malaysian law firm and led the firm’s FinTech division. He has also previously held the position of Director at two boutique property development companies, which provided him with keen insights on matters relating property and real estate development. Jonathan first begun his legal career as an Associate with the corporate practice group at Zaid Ibrahim & Co.

Vivienne is Senior Associate with the Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice group at Zaid Ibrahim & Co. Her primary practice area is within the fintech and technology sector, where she advises payment service providers and financial institutions on the laws and regulations relating to payment systems, financial services, digital assets, securities and anti-money laundering laws. Her work in this practice area also involves reviewing internal policies to identify compliance gaps and drafting commercial contracts.

Vivienne also has experience advising on the laws and regulations governing the telecommunications industry and has been involved in several noteworthy transactions in this area. She also advises social media and e-commerce platform providers on content laws, data privacy laws and e-commerce laws.

Sia Yen has over 19 years of experience advising a wide range of clients, including international and domestic energy companies, major utilities, national oil companies, sovereign wealth funds, private equity houses, government bodies and single asset operators.

Sia Yen advises on a broad range of complex regulatory issues and legal framework, with a particular focus on structuring the development, construction and financing of major infrastructure and sustainable land developments, renewable energy projects, acquisition of upstream assets, refinery complex, wastewater treatment plants, port privatisation and the design, development, and implementation of controls to manage the regulatory risks.

With the increased global attention on decarbonisation, renewable energy sources, security of supply, ESG and net zero targets, Sia Yen has been active in providing practical and innovative advice on these issues in a wide variety of contexts, including implementing regulatory reform, assisting clients with evolutionary changes to their business strategies, and conducting due diligence and structuring acquisitions or disposals of businesses

Sunita heads the Commercial Business Unit at the branch office in Johor Bahru.

She has vast experience in advising foreign and local clients which include corporate entities and individuals on a wide range of issues including property investments, building construction, banking and commercial transactions. She has advised clients on inter alia share sale transactions, joint venture agreements and land bank sales.

Sunita has also drafted and advised on commercialisation agreements, technology transfer agreements and various types of licensing agreements.

Sunita started off her career first by being a pupil-in-chamber in Messrs. Sri Ram & Co Malaysia and Messrs. Murphy & Dunbar in Singapore. Prior joining the firm, Sunita was first made a Legal Assistant and later a Partner at Messrs. Brockett & Cho. In 2001, she was made Partner at Syed Alwi, Ng, & David Chong, heading the corporate, conveyancing & litigation department.

Sunita joined the firm as a Partner in June 2006.

Lilian heads the Debt Capital Markets and Structured Finance practice at Zaid Ibrahim & Co.

She has advised Malaysian and international financial institutions and project sponsors on single bank and syndicated term and multi-facility loans, banking regulations and other general banking matters.  She has extensive experience in advising, structuring, negotiating and documenting project finance transactions, Islamic finance transactions, debt and equity linked security issues, bank capital instruments, asset-backed securitisation transactions, structured notes and other structured finance transactions.  Lilian’s experience also includes advising local and international lenders on the financing of some of the largest infrastructure projects in Malaysia based on conventional and Islamic financing structures. Lilian has led many award winning capital market deals, including those awarded IFLR, ALB, Islamic Finance News, Asset Triple A and Project Finance International.

Under her leadership, the Debt Capital Markets and Structured Finance practice at Zaid Ibrahim & Co has consistently been ranked in the top tier in Capital Markets and Banking & Finance in international publications such as Chambers, Legal 500 and IFLR. Lilian is recognised as a leading lawyer forBanking & Finance in IFLR 1000: The Guide to the World’s Leading Financial Law Firms every year since 2006. Lilian has also been named in Who’s Who Legal as a leading practitioner in the Capital Markets field since 2013 and also is one of only six Malaysian lawyers named in IFLR1000’s Women Leaders Guide since 2018 till 2022 - an elite cohort of the 300 leading female transactional experts in local markets globally. She has been inducted into Legal 500’s inaugural Asia Pacific Hall of Fame as a Leading Individual ranked for 10 times and above.

Lilian started her career in legal practice at Shook Lin & Bok in January 1992.  In 1995, Lilian joined the firm as an associate and she was made a Partner in 1998.

Yuen Wei is a Partner with the Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice group at Zaid Ibrahim & Co. She has a wealth of experience in advising on a breadth of practice areas in the technology sector. Her clients include start-ups, fast growing technology companies, multinational corporations and members of Big Tech.

Her primary practice areas are within the telecommunications and information technology sectors, where she frequently advises on the laws and regulations governing the telecommunications industry. She also reviews and drafts commercial contracts that are typical in the sector, and she has been involved in high profile transactions in these areas.

In addition, her practice area sees her advising payment service providers on the technical and regulatory issues in relation to payments and financial services. This includes payment systems, electronic money, remittance services, anti-money laundering laws and securities laws.

Yuen Wei also regularly advises on gaming laws, and her clients include household names in the video game publishing industry. She also provides advice on data privacy laws and e-commerce laws.

Yuen Wei joined Zaid Ibrahim & Co. in 2015 as a Trainee Associate and was retained in the Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice group in 2016. She was made a Senior Associate in 2019 and subsequently a partner in 2023.

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Aidah is a Partner with Zaid Ibrahim & Co.’s litigation practice group in Johor Bahru. She has appeared before the various Courts in Malaysia representing clients on matters related to motor insurance. At the same time, she also has experience in general litigation matters on behalf of large corporate clients.

She has vast experience in handling complex matters for motor insurance claims, cases involving fraud, interveners and declaration proceedings from the lower Court up to Court of Appeal.

Aidah was call to the Malaysian Bar in 2007 after completing her pupillage at a Malaysian law firm. She was retained at the firm as a Legal Assistant and appointed as Partner in 2012. In August 2017, Aidah joined Zaid Ibrahim & Co. as a Senior Associate and was subsequently promoted to Partner in January 2020.

Key Engagement

• Advise insurance company on the third party claims,  fraudulent claims and denial of collisions, subrogation claims and all related matters under the Road Transport Act.
• Advise insurance companies in non-motor insurance policy matters related to public policy, fire insurance policy, contractors all risk policy and theft.
• Advise Tenaga Nasional Berhad on debt recovery, civil actions and contractual disputes.

Ellesya Myra’s main areas of practice include corporate commercial, mergers and acquisitions, foreign direct investments, regulatory compliance, private equity and general legal advisory. She assists in various corporate matters by conducting legal due diligence exercises, drafting and reviewing contracts and other transaction documents, advising clients on their legal queries, and handling closing and post-closing matters for M&A transactions.

Ellesya Myra joined Zaid Ibrahim & Co. as a Trainee Associate in January 2023 under the firm’s structured Trainee Associate Programme. Upon the completion of her pupillage in October 2023, she was retained as an Associate in the Corporate Commercial practice group.

Nazatul Fida advises domestic and international clients in the acquisitions and disposals, leasing, tenancies, tender, property development and Waqf (an endowment made by a Muslim to religious, educational or charitable cause) of all types of real estate. She also advises clients on broad range of banking documentation relating to the financing of purchase of property, refinancing of property and also on other general conveyancing practices.

Nazatul Fida is a Partner with the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group based in the Kuala Lumpur office.

Suzana is a Partner in the Litigation Practice Group based in Johor Bahru. She is an experienced litigator and has appeared in all level of Courts in Malaysia . She has extensive experience in contentious civil and contractual litigation primarily in Insurance practice. She also advises large corporate client on general litigation and dispute resolutions.

Suzana was called to the Malaysian Bar in 1999and commenced her practice in few firms based in Johor Bahru. She later became a Partner in Motor Insurance Department in year 2012.

Key Engagement

• Advised Insurance companies on primarily third-party claims, fraudulent and subrogation claims and all related matters under Road Transport Act.
• Advised Insurance companies on various policy cover namely Public Liability Policy, Contractor All Risk Policy, Fire Insurance Policy, Comprehensive General Liability Policy and Employer’s Liability Policy and Takaful.
• Advised Tenaga Nasional Berhad on General Litigation , Debt Recovery and Contractual Disputes.

Iliyas advises clients in the field of corporate and commercial transactions, including takeovers and mergers, joint ventures, and equity capital market transactions.

He regularly assists corporate clients from a variety of industry sectors including healthcare, property development, education, port administration, food and beverages, and banking and finance.

Iliyas started his career in legal practice at a Malaysian law firm in 2010 where he undertook his pupillage, and was subsequently retained as a legal assistant. He joined Zaid Ibrahim & Co. as a Senior Associate on November 2015. In January 2021, he was promoted to Partner in the Corporate Commercial practice group at Zaid Ibrahim & Co.’s main office in Kuala Lumpur.

Lily is a Partner with the firm’s Nationwide Business Unit based in the firm’s Johor Bahru branch.

Lily advises local and foreign clients on a broad range of domestic and cross border property, banking and commercial matters.

She also advises developers in Malaysia on property development related matters, the preparation of tender documents in relation to tender exercises conducted in Johor, and on joint-venture arrangements between several private limited and listed companies incorporated in Malaysia and in Singapore. She is also involved in advising local and foreign investors on property transactions in the Iskandar region in Johor.

Lily has experience in advising on the Malaysian laws and regulations governing the business operations of the Malaysian entities of foreign holding companies listed on the Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the People’s Republic of China’s Stock Exchanges.

Kellie is a Partner in the Tax and Customs practice group at Zaid Ibrahim & Co (in association with KPMG Law).

With over a decade of experience in tax and customs-related work, she possesses comprehensive knowledge of direct and indirect tax law, covering aspects such as transfer pricing, withholding tax, real property gains tax, stamp duty, GST, sales & service tax, and customs duty. Prior to joining Zaid Ibrahim & Co (in association with KPMG Law), she was with the tax practice group of Lee Hishamuddin Allen & Gledhill and Wong & Partners (a member firm of Baker & McKenzie).

Her expertise extends from supporting taxpayers during audit, investigation and dawn raids conducted by the tax authorities to guiding taxpayers through settlement negotiations and legal representation before the national courts and tax tribunals. She has represented multinational companies and government-linked entities across various industries, including manufacturing, banking, insurance, FMCG, e-commerce platforms, offshore drilling companies, automotives and Labuan companies for tax related matters.

In addition, Kellie also provides tax advice on compliance and restructuring matters, including drafting tax clauses for agreements.

She has conducted various client training sessions in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Vietnam, covering topics such as general tax planning, tax audits, and investigations.

Jeyakuhan Jeyasingam has over 25 years of experience in commercial litigation services for disputes in stratified and landed property concerning the construction industry, property development, common property, facility management, real estate acquisition, sales and leasing sectors. His clientele includes landlords of commercial buildings, shopping malls and factories who engage his services to settle disputes with their tenants.

He also regularly advises on local and cross-border legal claims against freight forwarders, hauliers/transporters, shipping lines and logistics providers and has represented clients in various civil and labour law matters as well.

Jeyakuhan also advises on testamentary matters involving probate and administration that are both contested and uncontested applications.

Prior to joining the firm in 2018, Jeyakuhan was a partner at the Kuala Lumpur branch of law firm Rastam Singa & Co and was involved in litigation matters relating to commercial law, land and building law and corporate law documentation. He was also previously the managing partner of litigation-based law firm Scott & Kuhan.

Jeyakuhan is also a frequent guest speaker on topics relating to land and building laws as well as probate and administration, and has authored several articles related to these areas of the law.

Jean advises local and foreign clients on corporate and commercial matters, including mergers and acquisitions, various corporate exercises, and joint-venture arrangements between several private limited and listed companies incorporated in Malaysia, Singapore, Europe and the People’s Republic of China.

Jean also has experience in conducting due diligence exercises and advising on the Malaysian laws and regulations governing the business operations of Malaysian listed companies and the Malaysian entities of foreign holding companies listed on the Singapore, Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China’s Stock Exchanges.

Ng Ai Li is a Partner in the Corporate Commercial practice group at the Zaid Ibrahim & Co. office in Penang, and also the firm's China Desk.

Ai Li’s main area of practice is foreign direct investment (with a special focus on inbound China-investments), banking and finance, and real estate (primarily with property development). She has advised clients on inbound and outbound investments spanning all aspects of negotiation, due diligence and documentation, and has coordinated investment and joint venture deals across multiple jurisdictions. She has vast experience with numerous institutional lenders and banks including the complex aspects of syndicated financing deals.

Ai Li has also advised on debt and equity capital raising exercises (for both public listed and private companies), joint venture and strategic alliances, solvent and insolvent restructuring and winding-up, distribution, franchise and licensing, and employee management (both non-contentious and disputes).

• Advised a China-SOE on a joint venture with a Malaysian private entity for the development of reclaimed land in Penang Island valued at MYR1.1billion
• Advised Schenzhen-listed engineering and medical investment group on its investment of MYR52million and joint venture development of the luxury hotel and residential mixed development
• Advised a large Chinese multinational healthcare group on its 70% acquisition of a birds nest manufacturer for MYR21million
• Advised a Malaysian investment bank as principal adviser and lead arranger to restructure a commercial vehicle manufacturer’s Islamic Commercial Papers and Medium Term Notes valued at MYR100million
• Represented a public-listed company in their acquisition of remaining 80% stake in a healthcare technology company for MYR80million and subsequent application to the Malaysian Securities Commission for exemption from undertaking a mandatory take-over of shares
• Advised an investment holding group in its MYR40million restructuring of its jetty management, palm oil manufacturing, chemicals manufacturing and real property holdings subsidiaries and assets
• Advised a consortium of Malaysian commercial banks as financiers and security agent in restructuring a MYR92million credit facility to a commercial vehicle manufacturer
• Advised a Malaysian commercial bank in respect of its facility of MYR162million to a property development-SPV for the financing of a mixed development project in Batu Kawan
• Advised a private investment vehicle on a purchase of a 16-storey hotel block and supporting facilities for MYR116million
• Advised a property development vehicle on its acquisition of a prominent mall for MYR75million
• Advised a public-listed company on its acquisition of a state telecommunication infrastructure and back-end services provider for MYR222million
• Advised a private university on its private issue of MYR50million in irredeemable preference shares including the structuring of a put and call option on the preference shares to the investors
• Advised a public-listed commercial vehicle manufacturer in its capital restructuring and subsequent raising of MYR28million through a rights issuance including an application to the Malaysian Securities Commission for exemption to undertake mandatory take-over of shares
• Advised a public-listed healthcare technology group in a bonus warrants issuance to raise up to MYR139million together with establishing a public-listed employee share option scheme

Cheng Yen is an Associate in the Infrastructure, Energy & Utilities practice group at Zaid Ibrahim & Co. and is particularly interested in the field of energy transition. Her most recent notable experiences include advisory work on the carbon, capture and storage (CCS) regulatory landscape in Malaysia, the reform of the Malaysian Electricity Supply Industry (MESI) and development and construction of data centres in Malaysia. She also has experience in drafting agreements for various types of projects such as solar power purchase agreements, solar rooftop lease agreements, sale and purchase agreements, share purchase agreements and tenancy agreements.

Cheng Yen joined Zaid Ibrahim & Co. as a Trainee Associate in November 2022 under the firm’s structured Trainee Associate Programme. Upon the completion of her pupillage in August 2023, she was retained as an Associate in the Infrastructure, Energy & Utilities practice group.

Karin is in charge of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group. She advises domestic and international investors, real estate developers and financial institutions in the acquisitions and disposals, leasing, property development and real estate financing of all types of real estate as well as real estate investment trusts (REITs). She has also facilitated the development of special economic zones/corridors.

Karin joined the firm in September 2004. Prior to joining the firm, she worked as an advocate and solicitor at Azra & Associates as well as Soo Thien Ming & Nashrah.

Background

Sook Kwan’s work encompasses a variety of debt transactions including direct and syndicated corporate loans, conventional and Islamic private debt securities, project finance transactions, aircraft and ship financing. Sook Kwan also advises clients on asset securitisation and other structured financing transactions. She was legal counsel for a number of securitisation transactions in Malaysia including the first of such transactions approved under the Securities Commission guidelines.

Sook Kwan has been named as a leading lawyer in banking and finance and debt capital markets in many notable publications including Chambers, Legal 500, Who’s Who Legal and IFLR. She was one of only six lawyers from Malaysia included in the IFLR1000 Women Leaders Guide since 2018 up till 2023. She has also won multiple awards for her role in capital market transactions from, among others, Islamic Finance News, Asian Legal Business, Malaysia Law Awards and nominated for leading deals at the Financial Times Asia Pacific Innovative Lawyers Awards. Sook Kwan is also listed in Malaysia’s Top 100 Lawyers by Asia Business Law Journal since 2020.

Career

Sook Kwan began her legal career at Russell McVeagh Mckenzie Bartleet & Co, one of the largest commercial law firms in New Zealand. In 1996, Sook Kwan returned to Malaysia and joined Zaid Ibrahim & Co as an Associate. Sook Kwan was made a Partner of the firm in 2000

Koay Su Ling is a partner in the Corporate Commercial practice group and the firm's China Desk.

Su Ling’s main area of practice is on mergers and acquisitions, and equity capital markets. She has undertaken cross-border transactions in numerous industries with a special focus on inbound China-investments and outbound listings (IPOs) on foreign stock exchanges. Her experience spans all aspects of negotiation, due diligence and documentation including coordination of multijurisdictional offices and advisers.

Su Ling has also advised on joint venture and strategic alliances, multi-jurisdictional corporate restructuring, foreign and domestic employee equity schemes, and regulatory compliance for Greenfield and Brownfield investments.

• Represented founders of webhosting company on their divestment of ~40% stake to a government-linked investment fund at enterprise value of MYR150million
• Advised a US-based global dairy franchise on its reverse takeover of a Malaysian Bursa-listed company at a valuation of MYR310million
• Advised a Malaysian property developer in its cross-border restructuring and listing on the SGX Catalist market with a market capitalisation of SGD200million
• Advised a China-SOE on a joint venture with a Malaysian private entity for the development of reclaimed land in Penang Island valued at MYR1.1billion
• Represented a webhosting service provider, as lead counsel, on its acquisition of an Indonesian webhosting service provider at a valuation of IDR65billion
• Advised a theme park operator in its cross-border restructuring and listing on the SGX Catalist market with a market capitalisation of SGD30million
• Advised  a private family trust and development group on the establishment of its mixed development property joint venture with gross development value of RM200million
• Represented founders and medical professionals of an aesthetic specialist medical centre on the disposal of its business at a valuation of MYR30million
• Advised an Australian university on a joint venture for the establishment of its foreign branch campus in Malaysia
• Advised corrugated carton manufacturer on its privatisation from the Bursa Main Market

Zaimah is a Partner at our Kota Bharu branch office and heads the office’s Motor Insurance Department.

Zaimah advises clients on third party claims, fraudulent claims and denial of collisions, subrogation claims, intervener applications, declaration proceedings and all related matters under the Road Transport Act. She has represented her clients in claims exceeding RM 1 million and has appeared before various levels of Malaysian courts.

Zaimah Hussin joined Zaid Ibrahim & Co. in 2017 and became a Partner in 2019.  Prior to joining the firm, Zaimah was a junior partner at Othman Hashim & Co.

Hilmy is an Associate at Zaid Ibrahim & Co. (in association with KPMG Law) under the Government Advisory practice group. His expertise primarily focuses on law reform across various industries, providing legal advisory assistance to Federal and State Governments, regulatory bodies, and international organisations.

In his role, Hilmy has been actively involved in advising government entities on regulatory matters, assisting in the nuanced process of law reform. This includes his contributions to the reviews and amendments of both primary and secondary legislation, encompassing a broad spectrum of industries such electric vehicles, micro mobility, corporate governance, estate administration, and many others. His involvement is extensive, covering both the complete end-to-end process of law reform as well as specific stages as needed.

His experience in Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) is particularly noteworthy. Hilmy has assisted Ministries and Federal agencies in undergoing the process of RIA, including drafting their Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS). In assisting MPC, he has reviewed multiple RIS and conducted multiple RIA workshops, imparting knowledge and guidance to various ministries and regulatory bodies, including but not limited to the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Local Government and Development, Energy Commission, and many other.

Career

Hilmy joined Zaid Ibrahim & Co as a Pupil-in-Chambers in 2022 and became an Associate in October 2023.  Prior to joining the firm, Hilmy was involved in policy development at a reputable think tank in Kuala Lumpur, looking at matters such as political risk assessments, political strategy, and impact assessment in foreign policy, education, economic development, and welfare policies.

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Caera is a Partner in the Infrastructure, Energy & Utilities practice group at Zaid Ibrahim & Co. She has over a decade’s experience and specializes in project development across a wide range of sectors, including power and renewable energy, infrastructure and oil and gas.

She has extensive experience advising investors, project sponsors and financial institutions in the bidding, acquiring, developing, financing and re-financing of Large-Scale Solar (LSS) projects. She is also actively involved in the solar space by advising on the Corporate Green Power Programme (CGPP) projects, rooftop solar photo voltaic systems installations, corporate and virtual power purchases and the sale of renewable energy certificates. Her experience advising parties with differing interests across stages of a project lifecycle gives her a broader view and balanced understanding of the expectations of all parties. Her other recent engagements in the sustainable space include advising on the proposed development of hydrogen production facilities and the proposed generation and issuance of verified carbon units through sustainable forest management.

Caera has in-depth knowledge and experience in construction and engineering matters. She regularly advises clients, both employer and contractor, in the construction and engineering of large infrastructure and manufacturing facilities. She is often involved in front-end planning, tender exercises, project initiation through design and procurement, and construction administration, where she advises and assists clients in identifying and managing the broad spectrum of risks in the project life cycle.

She is also familiar with oil and gas matters, including advising on proposed farm-in and acquisition of oil and gas assets in Malaysia, and other corporate and commercial matters relating to joint ventures, acquisitions and foreign investment in Malaysia.

Wooi Hong is a Partner of Zaid Ibrahim & Co (in association with KPMG Law) and heads one of the firm’s Corporate & Commercial Practice Groups.

He regularly advises on foreign investments to Malaysia including advising on approvals and incentives; commercial transactions; takeovers and mergers, and corporate finance and securities related transactions.

Wooi Hong has advised on the following noteworthy transactions in Zaid Ibrahim & Co to date:

• LTAT’s voluntary general offer of Boustead Holdings Berhad for an estimated RM700 mil.
• AMMB Holdings Berhad disposal of Am General Insurance Berhad valued at RM2.29bil.
• Khazanah’s disposal of Proton to DRB-Hicom for RM1.2bil.
• Acquisition by Asahi Group of Permanis for RM820mil.
• Maybank Berhad’s disposal of their Indonesian Islamic Bank.
• Khazanah’s investment into Garena Interactive Holding Limited valued at USD170mil.
• Privatisation of two public listed companies (KFC and QSR) by Johor Corporation, EPF and CVC Consortium of combined value of RM5.2bil.
• Malaysian counsel for MAHB’s acquisition of Turkey’s second largest international airport and its ensuing RM1.3bil rights issue.
• Joint venture between Malaysia’s Brahim’s and Singapore’ SATS on Halal airline catering business which is valued at over RM600mil.
• Restructuring of an oil & gas major in Malaysia and its proposed rights issue of more than RM1bil.
• Joint venture between Iskandar Waterfront Holdings Sdn Bhd and China Railway Engineering Corporation Ltd with regards to acquiring a 61% stake in Bandar Malaysia development valued at RM7.4bil.  
  

Xian Ai is a partner in the firm’s Corporate Commercial Practice Group. Xian Ai’s main area of focus include mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganisations, capital equity markets, joint venture and shareholder arrangements, foreign investments into Malaysia, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, incorporation of a company, legal due diligence and general corporate advisory. She advises both local and international clients in her areas of expertise.

Xian Ai works with leading public listed and private corporations on a variety of cross-border transactions in various industries, including financial institutions, REITs, telecommunication, manufacturing, logistics and retail markets. She also advises clients on private equity transactions involving block trades and placements.

Xian Ai is the key partner in the firm’s Japan Desk practice, and works with Japanese law firms and corporations to advise on various outbound investments. Xian Ai previously worked in Japan, where she was seconded to Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, an international law firm in Tokyo as a foreign legal counsel.

Some of her key engagement include:

• Advised Telenor group on its application to the Securities Commission Malaysia to be exempted from the obligation to undertake a mandatory take-over offer for all remaining shares in CelcomDigi Berhad in connection with the internal re-organisation of Telenor’s Asian business.
• Advised Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Berhad and Danajamin Nasional Berhad in respect of a merger via a business transfer scheme. This is the first merger involving a Development Financial Institution in Malaysia.
• Advised CIMB Group on its proposed divestment and international investment joint partnership with Hong Kong listed Galaxy International group.
• Acted as the Malaysian legal counsel to Advent International GmbH, one of the largest global private equity investors, in its acquisition of Caldic BV from Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
• Advised Press Metal Aluminium Holdings Berhad in is placement exercise of 163,398,700 placement shares at an issue price of RM5.94 per placement share, raising approximately RM 970.6 million (~USD 213.9 million).

Lay Kim is a Partner with the firm’s Commercial Business Unit based in the firm’s Johor Bahru branch and handles cases pertaining to real property transactions, including sale and purchase of properties and tenancies.

She advises clients on the legal implications of real property transactions which includes purchase directly from developers and on sub-sale as well as the execution of various types of agreements.

In her years of practice, she has advised the local and foreign investors as well as developers on a wide range of legal matters. She was also involved in the drafting of agreements for developments in the Iskandar Development Region including the Medini, Iskandar Malaysia projects undertaken by developers.

Lay Kim has experience in handling shipping loans and tender exercise for our panel bankers. She has also advised our panel bankers on various types of loan documentation for both retail loan as well as commercial loan transactions.

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Yu Lin is a Partner in the Infrastructure, Energy and Utilities practice group with a background in mergers and acquisitions.

She has been in practice for close to 20 years focus, which includes a stint in Myanmar advising the Myanmar government on the tender and bid qualifications and concession agreements for the initial phase of the Dawei Special Economic Zone project consisting of several infrastructure projects.

Yu Lin advises clients in the renewable energy sector and has worked on several projects ranging from solar to waste-to-energy projects. Her work involves advising on the tender documents, drafting the power purchase agreements, concession agreements, EPCCs, offtaker and O&M agreements . She is also involved in law reform work and has assisted in the drafting of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Bill.

Lyn Min is a Partner in the Litigation practice group at Zaid Ibrahim & Co’s office in Penang. Her practice mainly focuses on Debt Recovery Litigation. Lyn Min represents local and international financial institutions, major corporations, statutory bodies, and local authorities in debt recovery related to corporate and commercial loans, retail banking, business and statutory debts, and in execution of judgments. Lyn Min is also experienced in contract review for an internationally listed corporation on a monthly retainer basis reviewing commercial contracts.

Foo Lyn Min commenced her pupillage in the chambers of Zaid Ibrahim & Co from October 2014 to July 2015. She was admitted into the Malaysian Bar and joined the firm in July 2015. She was promoted to partner in 2023.

Work Experience:

• Lead a specialized team focused on debt recovery litigation, overseeing all stages from case initiation to resolution.
• Represent local and international banks, major corporations, statutory bodies, and local authorities in debt recovery cases related to corporate and commercial loans, retail banking, business and statutory debts.
• Successfully handled debt recovery cases for the majority of banks in Malaysia, securing favorable judgments and settlements.
• Appointed by major corporation toreview commercial contracts, ensuring compliance with legal standards andprotecting client’s interest.
• Developed and implementedeffective strategies for managing large portfolios of delinquent debts,optimizing recovery rates.
• Collaborated with banking clientsto understand their unique needs, providing tailored legal advise and solutions.

Zukhairi is a Partner of the Corporate Finance and Securities practice group at Zaid Ibrahim & Co.

Zukhairi is experienced in advising corporate clients in various sectors such as banking, manufacturing, telecommunications, property development, energy, shipping, logistic & warehousing, food chain, retail, venture capital & private equity. Zukhairi has been heavily involved in a wide range of corporate exercises including:

• Equity capital market transactions involving capital raising exercises on exchanges such as Bursa Malaysia, Singapore Exchange, Hong Kong Exchange and London Stock Exchange;
• Mergers & acquisitions involving publicly listed corporations and private corporations, either acting for the seller or the buyer, including advising on foreign direct investment;
• Reorganisation and restructuring of publicly listed corporations and private corporations involving scheme of arrangement, capital reduction and repayment;
• Establishment of Shariah funds, management of the funds, investments, exits and closure of the funds;
• Corporate advisory on other areas of corporate exercise such as management buy-out, take-over, rights issue, restricted offer for sale, derivatives, business trust, employee share scheme and foreign equity offering into Malaysia.

Zukhairi joined the firm as Senior Associate in 2013. In 2019, he was awarded with a prestigious and highly competitive British Chevening Scholarship to pursue his LLM in Corporate Law in the United Kingdom.

Before joining the firm, he was a Senior Associate of an established corporate law firm in Kuala Lumpur. During his stint with the previous law firm, he was requested by PETRONAS to be seconded twice to its legal department in 2012 and 2013 providing legal support to the department. This gave him the exposures to the Oil and Gas sector.

Tatt King has extensive experience in advising companies, banks and financial institutions on the whole range of corporate, commercial and banking transactions. Tatt King has advised on structuring and documenting of corporate loans, syndications and participations, secured and unsecured lending, export finance, structured trade finance, asset finance, convertible loan stock issues and derivatives. He has a particular interest in aviation finance and leasing. He has also served as the firm’s contact partner with the Aviation Working Group (AWG) and with the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) for many years. In addition, Tatt King also advises on licensing, regulatory and compliance issues, with emphasis on the financial services industry.

Joan is experienced in advising on various issues involving capital market and securities law. She has been involved in various corporate exercises involving listing and other equity capital raising exercises on Bursa Malaysia and other stock exchanges, exchange-traded funds, REITs and other collective investment schemes.

Joan advises regularly on foreign investment restrictions, joint ventures, take-overs and mergers of public companies, acquisitions and disposals of shares and assets of private companies. Some of the transactions she advised on include companies in the manufacturing sector, engineering consultancy services, quantity surveying services, insurance, banking services, money remittance services, logistics, tourism and private employment agency services.

Hun Yin is currently heading the Litigation practice area in the Kota Bharu branch. She advises clients on a wide range of legal issues arising from banking, loan recoveries, hire purchase, industrial leasing and other general commercial and property related transactions.

She has experience in handling civil cases involving litigation and dispute resolution and has advised clients on many aspects of civil litigation and procedures relating to obtaining order for sale, summary judgement, debt collection, divorce, landlord-tenant disputes, civil appeal to the superior courts and stay of proceeding. She advises clients on disputes arising from taxation, probate, winding up, bankruptcy proceedings and transfer of proceeding.

Hun Yin has advised on interlocutory proceedings including attachment of property before judgement, and striking out proceedings. She also advised on the general dispute resolution matters relating to civil claims, bankruptcy matters, property and commercial disputes, hire purchase, execution of judgements, appeals to the court of appeal and other pecuniary claim.

She is the legal adviser to the Chinese community in Pasir Mas, Kelantan, Malaysia. She was the speaker on “Law Degree and Related Law Issues” at “Projek Seminar and Motivasi Belia Kelantan” in 1996.

Her vast experience in property law includes:

• Advising on matters pertaining to property development and conveyancing matters including bungalow lots and construction of properties on lots, commercial properties and home ownership campaigns.
• Banking and finance matters relating to financing purchase of properties, bridging finance for property development and building construction, financing of shares, financing/refinancing for corporate restructuring as well as restructuring of existing facilities.
• Representing a wide range of major banks based in Malaysia on real estate transactions.
• Advising on the matter involves the Kelantan’s Land Law and related issues.

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Raj is a partner in the firm’s corporate commercial practice and advises on a wide range of corporate and commercial matters, including competition, distribution and dealerships, electronic commerce transactions, supply chain management, direct sales, personal data protection, consumer protection, franchise, and mergers and acquisitions.

Raj advises on competition law related issues including resale price maintenance, price relationship agreements, cartels, abuse of dominance, distribution and dealerships, joint ventures, joint procurement, exclusivity and non-compete restraints.

Raj has advised on dispute resolution involving commercial and corporate disputes and regularly appeared at the High Court.

Raj was part of the project team for the revision of legislation governing Labuan offshore financial services and also communications and multimedia.

He also has in-house corporate experience in the automotive sector, where he was responsible for the company’s Competition and Personal Data Protection Compliance Programs and a cross border joint venture project involving the company. Raj also regularly drafted and advised on all commercial and operational agreements entered into by the company in the course of its business.

Raj joined Zaid Ibrahim & Co. as a pupil-in-chambers and was retained in the firm’s litigation and dispute resolution practice. Raj thereafter joined a government linked company before returning to Zaid Ibrahim & Co. as Senior Associate in the Corporate Commercial Department. Raj was appointed a Partner in January 2016.