Chinatown for HopgoodGanim
The Brisbane firm has appointed a senior China consultant in the booming Asian nation
HopgoodGanim now has direct representation in China.
Managing partner Bruce Humphrys says this has been made a reality through the appointment of Senior China Consultant Michael Wadley.
“We are delighted to welcome Michael to our growing team and to confirm to our clients that we have on-the-ground support in China,” says Humphrys.
“We very much see our work in the region as a long-term and committed arrangement and we hope to continue to build the support base in China so as to reflect the needs of our clients.
“HopgoodGanim has been working in China for a long time now, with the appointment of Michael being an enhancement of our cooperation agreements with Dacheng Law Offices and Zhejiang T&C.
The firm has a growing list of Chinese-based and owned clients such as Norton Gold Fields Limited; SinoCoal Resources (a wholly-owned Australian subsidiary of China National Coal Group; and Bank of China.
“We saw the need to not only have on-the-ground support, but to also demonstrate that commitment by having a go-to person whom clients and prospects alike can visit,” says Humphrys.
“Our peers in the UK have predicted that in the next five to 10 years, the China market will open up entirely.
“This is reflected in this week’s appointment of a number of local and international firms to the Chinese Government’s Ministry of Commerce panel, including our partner firm Dacheng Law Offices.
“By building on our service offering, we will be in a great position when that time comes.
“In the meantime, we will focus on continuing to provide a high quality service to our existing clients and attracting new clients with the HopgoodGanim approach, which is of course business mateship at its best.
“This is a great milestone for HopgoodGanim and sets our 40th anniversary celebrations off to an exciting start.”
Wadley has been a resident of Shanghai for 13 years and has extensive experience over the past 20 years providing corporate advisory and legal services to foreign investors throughout China and to Chinese groups investing offshore.
He has assisted hundreds of Australian, Chinese and foreign businesses establish and manage operations in China and Australia.
Working with Australian and Chinese federal and state government trade agencies, he speaks regularly to interest groups on strategies for doing business in and with China.
Wadley has also served on several listed company boards and is currently a Partner or Director of a number of consultancies for China in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK.