PwC Legal has hired Gide Loyrette Nouel Vietnam head Nasir Dao to boost its operations in the country – the fastest growing economy in South East Asia.
Dao was Gide’s Vietnam head for three years, having joined from Hogan Lovells where he also led the Vietnam office. He has been appointed head of PwC Legal in Vietnam.
His appointment follows a review by the French firm to consolidate its two Vietnamese offices. Gide now operates solely from Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in the south of the country.
The Lawyer reported in June Gide was reviewing its Asia offering in a move that also saw it close its Hong Kong office. The firm’s Hong Kong team joined local firm Howse Williams Bowers (HWB) under a new best friends arrangement.
Dao joins PwC Legal senior associates Phan Thi Thuy Dong and Le Anh Tuan, who operate from its offices in both HCMC and Hanoi.
PwC Vietnam partner David Fitzgerald said Dao’s “experience and expertise will helpful us strengthen our position as a leading international law firm in Vietnam and in the region, in line with current business growth.
“Nasir also offers unique perspectives on both the local and international markets that will be invaluable to our clients and the wider PwC team in Vietnam.”
Dao added there was a “strong appetite among PwC’s global network for significant investment in legal services”.
PwC has been pushing for growth in Asia Pacific this year, hiring five partners from law firm rivals in Australia in June at the same time as it relocated its global head of legal, Leon Flavell, to Singapore to spur growth in South East Asia.
PwC currently has 76 lawyers including nine partners across its offices in the region. It tapped into the Singapore legal services market in 2014 when it entered into a tie-up with local firm Camford Law. It is now understood to be considering launching in other emerging markets such as Thailand and Myanmar.
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