About

A giant meat processing company with impressive credentials including being the largest pork producer in the world, Shanghui, also known as WH Group and Shineway in English speaking countries, is one of the most important companies in Hong Kong and China. Ho Chau took over Shuanghui’s chief legal officer role in February 2014 and is a highly regarded individual in the region who possesses over two decades of experience in the legal field. Chau took over at a particularly active time for the business in terms of its M&A and transactional profile. The year before he assumed the top legal position, the company had announced a landmark deal to purchase US-based Smithfield Foods in a $4.7bn deal that represents the largest Chinese acquisition of a US company to date. The deal received a large amount of media attention in the US, making it especially important for the company and its legal advisers to show cultural sensitivities with the counterparty. There was also a high degree of scrutiny from US regulators before the deal was approved. As well as his legal responsibilities, Chau is tasked with company secretarial work at Shuanghui and sits on the company’s leadership committee, providing him with significant input to the company’s strategic direction.