Bird & Bird LLP is delighted to announce the appointment of Alexander Shepherd as partner of the global Tech & Comms group. Alex will be based in Singapore and the appointment will enhance the firm's transactional capabilities in the TMT sector in South East Asia/the ASEAN region.
Alex joins from Simmons & Simmons Singapore, where was a partner in the Information, Communications & Technology practice group, and head of the Technology, Media and Telecommunications sector group in Asia.
He relocated to Singapore in 2013 to help establish Simmons & Simmons' office. Prior to this he was based in Dubai for almost seven years where he established, built and led the ICT practice and TMT sector groups, and advised on matters across the Middle East and Africa.
Alex is an England and Wales qualified lawyer specialised in the legal, commercial and regulatory aspects of telecommunications, IT, technology and e-commerce matters. His key area of practice is advising on technology procurement and regulated outsourcings for financial institutions, investment funds and insurance companies. In addition, he advises a wide range of technology and telecoms companies on all commercial and regulatory aspects of their businesses. He has been actively involved in the “start-up” community in Asia, particularly in relation to FinTech businesses. He also advises extensively on data protection and privacy across the region.
The Singapore chapter of Chambers Asia Pacific ranks Alex in Band 2 for TMT, while his practice in Dubai was ranked Band 1 in both Legal 500 and Chambers for five years. He is also named a Leading Individual in Legal 500 for the last two editions and continues to be recognised by Chambers as Middle East expert located outside the region.
Graeme Maguire, international Head of the Tech & Comms group, Bird & Bird, says: "I'm delighted to welcome Alex as an important addition to our market leading global Tech & Comms group. Alex will further strengthen our team in Singapore, an increasingly important regional hub for Tech & Comms clients and work, and will work closely with other Asia Pacific Tech & Comms partners including Michelle Chan in Hong Kong/China and Shane Barber and Hamish Fraser in Sydney."
Justin Walkey, Chairman, Bird & Bird Asia Pacific, says: "The appointment of Alex is a significant step forward for us in enhancing our existing capabilities and expertise in the Tech & Comms sector in the Asia Pacific region with a particular focus on servicing our clients in SE Asia/ASEAN and is another demonstration of our commitment to excellence in client service and our strategy for growth in Asia Pacific. It's a pleasure to welcome Alex to the team and I look forward to working with him."
Alex added: "I’m delighted to be joining Bird & Bird which is the leading firm for my practice area. There’s a fantastic team in Asia-Pacific, with highly rated TMT practices in all five offices, allowing us to offer clients real strength and depth across the region. I’m really looking forward to working with my new colleagues, both in Singapore and across the network, to grow the practice."
