Teresa Ko

Practice Areas

Teresa is Freshfields’ China Chairman and a founding partner of Freshfields’ Asia equity capital markets practice. Described as “an icon in the industry”, Teresa is one of the most prominent corporate and securities lawyers in Hong Kong. With over 30 years of extensive experience, Teresa is renowned for her expertise in advising on groundbreaking listings and cross-border M&A transactions. She has helped numerous Chinese stateowned, privately-owned and international companies to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE), including advising on eight out of the ten largest IPOs in Hong Kong. Recently, she advised Midea Group Co., Ltd’s on its US$4bn global offering and listing of H shares on HKEX, representing 1/3 of the IPO funds raised last year. She also has an impressive record on public and private M&A transactions and advises on joint ventures and corporate governance matters.

Career

Teresa joined Freshfields in 1988, becoming a partner in 1993 and China Chairman in 2011.

Professional Memberships

Teresa has just stepped down as co-vice chair of the Trustees of the IFRS Foundation and as chair of its Due Process versight Committee. She was also a member of the Task Force and Trustee Steering Committee to oversee the establishment of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). During her term, she contributed to Hong Kong’s roadmap for adopting the ISSB Standards to align with international standards, facilitating discussions among financial regulators to exchange views on experiences and unique circumstances related to sustainability disclosures in Hong Kong and Asia.

Teresa was the first female to chair the HKEX’s Listing Committee (2009 – 2012). She also served as a non-executive director of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) (2012 – 2018) and a member of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA)’s Exchange Fund Advisory Committee (2010 - 2016). Currently, Teresa is a co-chair of HKEX’s Listing Review Committee and a deputy chair of SFC’s Takeovers and Mergers Panel.

Personal

- Recognised as a HERoes Executive Role Model in 2024 for the seven consecutive year and ranked fifth place in 2023’s list of 100 role models

- IFLR1000 Women Leaders 2022

- Forbes’ ‘Asia's Power Businesswomen’ list 2021

Work Highlights

- Advising on the listings of numerous Chinese state-owned, privately owned and international enterprises on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, including the 'big four' banks, TME, CTG Duty-Free, Beike, Cloud Village, Xpeng, Yum China, Alibaba, China Tower, Guotai Junan Securities, Cinda Asset Management, Tencent, Imax China, Fast Retailing, L’Occitane International, Samsonite International and AIA.

- Advising the sponsors and underwriters for Midea Group Co., Ltd’s US$4bn global offering and listing of H shares on HKEX (Hong Kong’s largest IPO since Q1 2021).

- Advising Budweiser APAC on its US$5.7bn listing in Hong Kong (Hong Kong’s largest IPO and second largest public offering in 2019 and Hong Kong’s only listing of the business of a multinational in Asia excluding Australia).

- Advising the promoters of Hong Kong’s first SPAC for Aquila Acquisition Corporation which listed on 18 March 2022, following the introduction of HKSE’s new SPAC regime on 1 January 2022.

- Advising Li & Fung and Temasek on the US$3.6bn sale of LF Logistics to Maersk and on Li & Fung’s long-term strategic partnership with Maersk.

- Advising HSBC on its JV with Shenzhen Qianhai Financial Holdings in 2017 (the world’s first-ever controlled securities joint venture).

Languages Spoken

She speaks Mandarin, Cantonese and English.