Dedicated to assisting Chinese clients, the Beijing office has opened five months after the launch of Ogier Global in Singapore, adding more strength to the firm's presence in Asia's key financial centres. It also has offices operating in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo.

The firm has appointed Davy Guan (pictured) as head of business development for Beijing. With more than 15 years' experience in the professional services sector, Guan will oversee business development for the firm's legal and corporate administration services, with a focus on the Northern China market. In previous roles in international financial services businesses, he was responsible for business development for their audit and M&A transaction service lines.

"This marks a major milestone in our commitment to clients in the Greater China region. As the country's political centre, international exchange and technological innovation hub, Beijing is home to most of China's largest state-owned companies' headquarters, unicorns and financial institutions – and the city houses more Fortune Global 500 companies than any other in the world. Having a presence in Beijing demonstrates our investment in service and accessibility to clients and intermediaries in their time zone," Edward Mackereth, global managing partner, said.

"We're really excited to welcome Davy, who brings a lot of experience and talent to our business development team in mainland China, where we've been present in Shanghai for 10 years. His skills will give us greater on-the-ground coverage and insight in the region."

"Ogier has an excellent reputation and I'm excited to help drive forward the firm's strategic layout of mainland China and help Ogier continue to excel and grow in the region,” Guan, head of business development Beijing at Ogier, said.

With offices in a number of offshore hubs, the move to open another mainland China office shows that it believes China is a viable market, notwithstanding the tensions between the West and China, including concerns about the mainland's national security crackdown on Hong Kong in 2020. China has been opening up its capital markets, and last year rolled out its Wealth Connect regulatory regime drawing together mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao.

It is the only law firm to advise on British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Jersey and Luxembourg law, Ogier said in a release. The firm helps high net worth individuals structure their affairs around the world.