SINGAPORE – After a decade at the helm, senior counsel and Withers KhattarWong (WKW) managing partner Deborah Barker is passing her mantle on to two partners to focus on her practice.
Her successors are the head of the Singapore white collar defence and investigations practice, Mr Shashi Nathan, and head of the Singapore funds practice, Mr Daniel Yong. Both will take over from March 31 to be joint managing partners.
Announcing the change in leadership, Withersworldwide chief executive Margaret Robertson said the move was part of the firm’s succession planning, and that the decision to have two co-heads reflected the demands of the business.
Mr Nathan, 56, with 30 years’ experience under his belt, started at the law firm as a pupil. He expects to continue in his more Singapore-facing role – being a leading practitioner in the Singapore criminal bar, where he conducts high-profile cases in both trial and appellate courts.
His white-collar work includes advising and defending both institutions and individuals within the domestic regulatory and compliance framework.
The 52-year-old Mr Yong – who joined WKW about five years ago – started out as a state counsel and deputy public prosecutor with the Attorney-General’s Chambers before joining private practice. He has more than 20 years’ experience in international firms, and specialises in investment funds and cross-border private equity and mergers and acquisitions transactions.
When asked how the two co-heads will resolve the more contentious conflicts that will inevitably arise from having two co-heads, Mr Yong jokingly answered: “Arm wrestle!”
Meanwhile, Ms Robertson – on a more serious note – said that there were structures in place to resolve those differences, such as the management committee in Singapore and the senior management team, as well as the board of directors.
Separately, she took the opportunity to thank Ms Barker “for her unwavering dedication” to the firm and “tireless efforts and commitment to legal excellence... that make the firm thrive”.
Ms Barker joined KhattarWong in 1980, when it was a boutique firm handling mainly tax matters. She was appointed managing partner in 2013, joining two other women holding similar leadership positions in Singapore at the time.
She has chosen to step down to focus on her litigation and arbitration practice as a partner in the firm, WKW said.
In the 10 years as managing partner, Ms Barker grew the business by increasing headcount from 75 to almost 200. At the same time, revenue grew by more than double as the firm expanded.
WKW said that this significant growth was due to strategically broadening the scope of its practice areas into new fields, such as investment funds, asset management, venture capital, technology, digital assets, and family law.
It added: “This expansion is a testament to our adaptive strategy and commitment to meeting the evolving needs of our clients.”
During her tenure, Ms Barker oversaw the alliance between Withers and KhattarWong – set up in 2015 – that developed into a merger of the two firms and a fully integrated practice that operated as a single entity in 2019.
At that time, the merged business was described as being “the largest international law firm focused on private capital in Singapore, with over 90 lawyers, qualified in various jurisdictions including Singapore, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Indonesia, Malaysia and Ukraine”.
Ms Barker was quoted then saying: “...the two firms believe it would be better if they practise as one entity rather than two separate firms, which would eliminate duplication of resources”.
Separately, WKW is marking its 50th anniversary in 2024 and recently completed its move to its new premises at Cross Street Exchange, from UOB Plaza.
