Pinsent Masons Grows Asia Pacific Infrastructure Team

Helena joins from leading Taiwan firm Formosan Brothers where she has been a partner since 2001 and founded its Construction Law team in 2002.

During that period she has built up a formidable reputation as a leader in the field of international arbitration, particularly in the context of major construction projects. In addition to being an arbitrator listed on the panels of several of the main international arbitration courts, she is Vice-Chairperson of the Mediation Center of the Chinese Arbitration Association, Taipei ("CAA") and an Associate Mediator of Singapore Mediation Centre.

Her clients include major Chinese and international companies whom she has assisted on inbound work into Taiwan.

Richard Foley, Head of the Construction Advisory and Disputes practice at Pinsent Masons, says:

"Helena is someone with whom we have worked for many years and is a highly respected, senior figure in the region. It is great news for the firm that she has joined our PRC team. We have a strong in-bound and out-bound construction projects and disputes capability in mainland China and see significant opportunity in this segment over the coming years. "

Helena's appointment follows a period of significant growth in Asia Pacific over the past 12 months. At the beginning of the year Pinsent Masons appointed Philipp Senff, former head of SJ Berwin's Shanghai office, in addition to a three-partner corporate team from Singaporean firm KhattarWong. The firm also launched a TMT practice in Singapore during 2013.

Ian Laing, Head of Pinsent Masons in Asia Pacific, says:

"The Asia Pacific market remains buoyant for those who can combine genuine sector expertise with first-class legal skills. Helena certainly meets both those criteria and her appointment fits with our strategy of broadening our pool of experts in key sectors which we believe will crucial to future growth."

Dr. Cheng holds Ph.Ds from the National Taiwan University and Peking University and LLMs from the University of Washington and National Taiwan University. She is qualified in Taiwan, New York and the PRC. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese, Hakka and English and previously worked with King & Wood in Beijing and Guangzhou.