Jonathan Kao

As a counsel in our Corporate and Commercial Group in Singapore, I advise extensively on corporate governance, regulatory issues and complex commercial transactions. I work closely with teams across our offices, as well as other professional advisers, to deliver practical solutions and help clients navigate their legal concerns.

I have led our team on a number of pilot projects and comprehensive policy reviews for clients across multiple jurisdictions. Many of these projects require unique perspectives and solutions from the team as we help clients deliver on their vision and navigate areas with growing legislative scrutiny. The firm's expertise and the team's engagement with various industries has equipped us to develop a more in-depth understanding of the clients' needs in order to engage with various stakeholders.

Much of my work requires close collaboration with external advisers to navigate regulations in areas such as clean energy, sustainability, fintech and data protection, in order to optimise cross-border operations, asset holdings and structures for our clients. We also work closely to help clients understand their obligations, as well as developments and potential opportunities in these areas. I regularly review and coordinate specific advice on cross-border competition and regulatory matters, in particular the application of competition law in new markets, data and technology.

Out of the office, I chair the IT Committee, and am a member of the Cybersecurity and Data Protection Committee of The Law Society of Singapore. I work closely with industry and special interest groups to promote digital literacy and responsible information security practices, supporting upskilling and adoption of appropriate technologies by SMEs and individuals alike.

• Advising and coordinating advice on franchise and competition concerns across four Asian jurisdictions for a high-end fashion label.
• Advising and coordinating advice on competition arising from the acquisition of a Singapore entity by a US manufacturer.
• Advising on private investments for regional infrastructure projects.
• Advising on project management for certain infrastructure and plants in Serbia.
• Advising on novel clean energy solutions and PPAs for a local solar energy firm.
• Advising an optoelectronic device designer and manufacturer on a prototyping and manufacturing venture.
• Advising a market leader in early education on the disposal of certain assets and the cross-border expansions.
• Advising a REIT on deployments of and innovations for edge and modular data centres.
• Advising clients on adopting remote-working solutions and potential data protection and security concerns.
• Advising clients on contract management and managing supply-chain disruptions.
• Advising clients on public procurements in health care, security and defence.
• Advising an Institution of Public Character on corporate governance and compliance with the Code of Governance for Charities and Institutions of Public Character.
• Working with clients on the establishment of remote-conferencing, tele-medicine and tele-presence facilities.
• Conducting workshops and seminars to raise awareness and discuss topics on technology and information security concerns.