We are delighted to announce our Asia-Pacific IFLR1000 Women Leaders for 2021. This year's guide - the fourth edition - is by far the most comprehensive yet, featuring more than 750 lawyers globally, almost double the number of lawyers we ranked last year. It is a privilege to be able recognise the work of all the outstanding lawyers who appear in our guide.
IFLR1000 Women Leaders are the most prominent female lawyers working in the areas of law we research (financial and corporate transactions and contract, licensing and regulatory project work) within their jurisdictions. This is an elite group of lawyers with outstanding reputations within their markets who either have expertise and experience of working on complex deals, or who have risen to hold leadership roles with their firms or their practices. For some individuals both these things are true.
Research methodology
The IFLR1000 undertakes annual research into the lawyers and firms working in our areas of research. IFLR1000's research teams in Hong Kong, London, New York and Sofia analyse thousands of research submissions, conduct thousands of interviews with law firm partners, and survey tens of thousands of clients to determine IFLR1000's Women Leaders. We consider all female lawyers working in our areas of research as Women Leaders but firms that participate in our research (see guidelines) can nominate individuals and individual lawyers can nominate themselves by taking our Lawyer Survey.
Women Leaders 2021 content
Below you will find links to:
- Online profiles of our featured Women Leaders
- Women Leaders by region and jurisdiction
- Analysis pieces covering diversity and inclusion in the legal proffesion
- Interviews with high-profile, inspirational female lawyers from across the world focussed around diversity in the legalprofession
If you would like to discuss how we can help you promote you or your firm's achievements, please contact Liam Sharkey: lsharkey@iflr.com
Featured Women Leaders
Yonghong Zhan - Guantao Law Firm, China
Project development specialist at Guantao Law Firm, Yonghong Zhan has led or co-led a large portion of the firm’s projects mandates of late. She has been involved in a raft of confidential projects spanning the real estate, construction and social infrastructure sectors.
SH Fransisca - Makes & Partners, Indonesia
Head of Makes & Partners' banking and finance practice group, SH Fransisca also plays an integral part in the firm’s corporate and M&A and real estate practices. She has led on several high-profile deals throughout her career, including the high value acquisition of Campbell Soup's international business by KKR and the IDX IPO of DIRE Simas Plaza Indonesia - the first DIRE listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange.
Rita Martins - DSL Lawyers, Macau
Head of DSL Lawyer’s banking and finance practice, Rita Martins is among the top practitioners in Macau. Focussed on corporate and project finance, Martins has over 20 years of experience and recently advised on the setting up of facial recognition terminals with Macau merchants, and on MGM Macau’s sub-concession extension to 2022.
Rachel Eng - Eng and Co, Singapore
Founding partner and managing director of Eng and Co in Singapore, Rachel Eng has won numerous accolades in her nearly three decades of experience as a corporate and commercial lawyer. Known for her corporate and M&A, funds and capital markets work, she recently advised Credit Bureau Asia on its IPO on the SGX.
Annie Eunah Lee - Bae Kim & Lee, South Korea
Annie Eunah Lee is a partner in Bae Kim & Lee’s banking and capital markets team. The New York-qualified lawyer often leads transactions in debt capital markets and banking and recently acted in the Korean government’s issuance of $1.5 billion foreign exchange equalisation bonds, and in Affinity Equity Partners' $504 million financing for the investment in Shinhan Financial Group.
Passawan Navanithikul - Somboon Rittichai Panuwat Passawan, Thailand
Partner at newly founded Somboon Rittichai Panuwat Passawan in Thailand, Passawan Navanithikul is one of Thailand’s leading banking and finance specialists. She has more than 20 years of experience and previously led the banking and finance practices of Weerawong Chinnavat & Partners and Clifford Chance in Thailand.
Natthida Pranutnorapal - Weerawong Chinnavat & Partners, Thailand
Head of the restructuring and insolvency practice at Weerawong Chinnavat & Partners, Natthida Pranutnorapal has experience leading on major restructuring mandates across a variety of sectors. Her recent high-profile work includes advising on the rehabilitation of Sahaviriya Steel Industries and the business restructuring of Saha Farms and Golden Line Business.
Veeranuch Thammavaranucupt - Weerawong Chinnavat & Partners, Thailand
Weerawong Chinnavat & Partners senior partner, Veeranuch Thammavaranucupt, helms the firm’s capital markets and corporate governance practices. She has experience in advising on high profile and landmark mandates across the region, including advising Oil and Retail Business Public Company on its IPO on the SET – the second largest IPO of a Thai company to date.
Articles and interviews
Global
- IFLR Market Poll: women lawyers disproportionately affected by Covid-19
- Women Empowering Change: getting more women into leadership roles with American Bar Association, ISDA, Bank for International Settlements – BIS, The Women's Foundation Association of Corporate Counsel, Baker McKenzie, and Hogan Lovells
Asia-Pacific
Hong Kong
- Sidley Austin executive committee member and joint head of funds and derivatives, Effie Vasilopoulos: challenges women and mothers in the legal profession have faced through the majority of her career, recent improvements and how clients can play a role in improving diversity at law firms
- Hong Kong based Morgan Lewis & Bockius partner and funds specialist Alice Huang: her experiences in Asia and the United States and explains how the firm has been working hard to ensure improve diversity and inclusion within the business
India
-
Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co partner Veena Sivaramakrishnan: her opinions on gender equality in India's legal profession
Indonesia
- Jakarta-based Hadiputranto Hadinoto & Partners partner, Indri Pramitaswari Guritno: how her firm's flexible working policy attempts to support lawyers with families and the importance of training and mentoring in helping women achieve senior positions within the profession
New Zealand
- Bell Gully partner Anna Buchly: the current and past landscape of diversity and inclusion in the New Zealand legal industry
Women Leaders by jurisdicition
Australia
Karolina Popic - Allen & Overy
Gail Christopher - Gilbert + Tobin
Melita Cottrell - Herbert Smith Freehills
Rebecca Maslen-Stannage - Herbert Smith Freehills
Philippa Stone - Herbert Smith Freehills
Yuen-Yee Cho - King & Wood Mallesons
Anne-Marie Neagle - King & Wood Mallesons
China
Yonghong Zhan - Guantao Law Firm
Ling Huang - King & Wood Mallesons
Wang Ling - King & Wood Mallesons
Xiaolian Zhang - King & Wood Mallesons
Jiayun Xie - Tian Yuan Law Firm
Catherine Chen - Zhong Lun Law Firm
Shirley Lu - Zhong Lun Law Firm
Hong Kong SAR
Anne-Marie Godfrey - Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
Teresa Ko - Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Minny Siu - King & Wood Mallesons
Catherine McBride - Latham & Watkins
Cathy Yeung - Latham & Watkins
Alice Huang - Morgan Lewis & Bockius
Vivian Yiu - Morrison & Foerster
Marcia Ellis - Morrison & Foerster
Lorna Xin Chen - Shearman & Sterling
Effie Vasilopoulos - Sidley Austin
Makiko Harunari - Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Celia Lam - Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Julie Gao - Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom
Michelle Taylor - Tiang & Partners
India
Alka Bharucha - Bharucha & Partners
Leena Chacko - Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas
Nivedita Rao - Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas
Reeba Chacko - Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas
Mona Bhide - Dave & Girish & Co
Dina Wadia - J Sagar Associates
Veena Sivaramakrishnan - Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co
Indonesia
Chandrawati Dewi - Ali Budiardjo Nugroho Reksodiputro
Serafina Muryanti - Ali Budiardjo Nugroho Reksodiputro
Rita Taufik - Ali Budiardjo Nugroho Reksodiputro
Kanya Satwika - Assegaf Hamzah & Partners
Indri Pramitaswari Guritno - Hadiputranto Hadinoto & Partners
Linda Widyati - Linda Widyati & Partners
S H Fransisca - Makes & Partners
Melli Darsa - Melli Darsa & Co
Ira Eddymurthy - SSEK Legal Consultants
Japan
Reiko Sakimura - Clifford Chance
Satoko Kuwabara - Gaien Partners
Eiko Hakoda - Mori Hamada & Matsumoto
Yuko Tamai - Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu
Miyuki Ishiguro - Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu
Kazakhstan
Madina Sypatayeva - Linkage & Mind
Liza Zhumakhmetova- SIGNUM Law Firm
Raushana Chaltabayeva - Unicase Law Firm
Saniya Perzadayeva - Unicase Law Firm
Kyrgyzstan
Zhanyl Abdurakhmanova - Centil Law Firm
Elvira Maratova - GRATA International
Macau SAR
Manuela António - Manuela António Lawyers and Notaries
Regina Ng - Manuela António Lawyers and Notaries
Malaysia
Lily Chea Li Tan - Albar & Partners
Grace Yeoh - Shearn Delamore & Co
Sook Kwan Chin - Zaid Ibrahim & Co
Lilian Liew - Zaid Ibrahim & Co
Mei Mei Loh - Zul Rafique & Partners
Mongolia
Nominchimeg Odsuren - Nomin & Advocates
Myanmar
Swee Gim Cheah - Kelvin Chia Yangon
New Zealand
Kate Lane - MinterEllisonRuddWatts
Cathy Quinn - MinterEllisonRuddWatts
Pakistan
Maheen Faruqui - Kabraji & Talibuddin
Phillipines
Monalisa Dimalanta - Puyat Jacinto & Santos
Singapore
Margaret Chin - Allen & Gledhill
Tze Gay Tan - Allen & Gledhill
Stephanie Keen - Hogan Lovells Lee & Lee
Suet-Fern Lee - Morgan Lewis Stamford
Sandy Foo - Rajah & Tann Singapore
Stefanie Yuen Thio - TSMP Law Corporation
South Korea
Annie Eunah Lee - Bae Kim & Lee
Hyun Ju Helen Pak - Shin & Kim
Taiwan
Thailand
Paralee Techajongjintana - Baker McKenzie
Wilailuk Okanurak - Linklaters
Passawan Navanithikul - Somboon Rittichai Panuwat Passawa
Charunun Sathitsuksomboon - Tilleke & Gibbins
Natthida Pranutnorapal - Weerawong Chinnavat & Partners
Veeranuch Thammavaranucupt - Weerawong Chinnavat & Partners
Uzbekistan
Sofia Shaykhrazieva - Centil Law Firm
Vietnam
Oanh Nguyen - Baker & McKenzie
Quynh Doan Linh - Watson Farley & Williams in association with LVN & Associates