BA (Hons 1), MSc (Oxford), MA (Law)(Lond.)
Director, Keel Consulting
Solicitor, England & Wales and Hong Kong
Executive Director LLM(CR) Programme, University of Hong Kong HKU.hk
Fellow, Asian Institute of International Financial Law AIIFL.com
Consultant/Examiner, Hong Kong Securities and Investment Institute HKSI.org
Member, HKSI Education Committee HKSI.org
Syren is a seasoned professional who has worked on numerous corporate, securities and regulatory matters. Prior to establishing Keel he was a senior solicitor in Linklaters, a leading international law firm, and subsequently undertook senior management roles at two leading global investment banks. At Banco Santander he was Regional Head (Asia) of Legal and Compliance. At Société Générale he was Regional Head (Asia) of Transaction Management for Equity Corporate Finance, a responsible officer and SFC regulated investment adviser, and an approved Principal Supervisor for IPO sponsor work.
His experience ranges from representing listed corporations on major deals, to structuring and executing niche transactions in specialized contexts, to regulatory structuring and compliance matters, in Asia and internationally. Syren speaks regularly at industry conferences including on regulatory matters, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, compliance in the financial services industry, and corporate governance among other topics.
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He commenced his professional career with Linklaters as a solicitor (admitted UK 1993, Hong Kong 1994), working in their London, Tokyo and Hong Kong offices including a period at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, Japan’s leading international law firm. After successfully advising Santander on the acquisition of Peregrine, he was appointed Director and Regional Head of Legal and Compliance for Banco Santander. He later took up a front office role with Société Générale as Director and Regional Head (Asia) of Transaction Management where he was Responsible Officer for Equity Corporate Finance. He then entered into partnership with a niche corporate finance advisory firm based in Singapore and later began his own consulting practice at around the time he began lecturing at Hong Kong University, in due course leading him to establish Keel Consulting.
His clients have included major investment banks, international companies, stock exchanges and regulatory bodies, as well as SMEs and family owned vehicles. He has worked on wide spectrum of transactions including mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures, shareholder agreements, cross-border investment structures, exit strategies, shareholder negotiations, asset acquisitions and disposals, IPOs, and establishing institutional investment vehicles in Asia (including Japan), Europe and Latin America. His experience encompasses all aspects of corporate finance, investment banking, and regulatory matters.
Syren has authored numerous texts covering corporate and securities law and practice. Selected publications
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Syren is active in the sports arena and in the community. He has represented Hong Kong as a player at international amateur and professional golf tournaments in Australia, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. He has brought community-related projects to the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Architecture Biennale (2009-2010) as well as the Hong Kong International Art Fair (now Art Basel) (in 2010 & 2011), Shanghai, and Les Rencontres d’Arles, France.
Following receipt of the University Medal for his undergraduate studies (Sydney University), Syren was awarded the prestigious Commonwealth Scholarship to Magdalen College, Oxford (1988-1991). He speaks intermediate Japanese (Japan Foundation level 4).
Syren is based in Hong Kong where he holds permanent resident status.
Recent activity & Selected publications
