Press Release

Minter Ellison Hong Kong has recruited two of Asia's foremost tax professionals to spearhead the development of the firm's tax capability in the region.

Christian Pellone, a former senior international tax partner in EY's Greater China Tax Practice with regional responsibilities, has joined Minter Ellison International as a partner.

Edward Lean, also previously with EY Hong Kong and London, in their financial services international tax teams, has joined as a Senior Tax Manager.

In announcing the appointments, Rhys Guild (Head, Minter Ellison's Tax Division) said the market for tax advice, and particularly tax advice emanating from law firms, is growing in Hong Kong, mainland China and Asia generally.

"What we're seeing is the growth of the financial services market in Asia Pacific, the movement of North American, European and Australian banks into the region, increasingly complex cross-border transactions and increasingly aggressive behaviour of tax authorities to counter tax avoidance.

"The time is ripe for to have senior tax professionals on the ground in Hong Kong to work with regional clients and with our tax team here in Australia, The fact that Christian commenced his career as a tax advisor in Australia is a real plus for clients who are looking for an Asia Pacific tax expert with both inbound and outbound expertise," Mr Guild said.

Mark Green (Minter Ellison's Managing Partner – International) noted that both Mr Pellone and Mr Lean had built formidable reputations in Asia.

"I'm very pleased to welcome Christian and Edward. They've developed successful cross-jurisdictional practices in mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mongolia in particular, and their Asia-wide business knowledge and local country technical expertise will be invaluable to clients navigating the tax risks associated with cross-border activity in the region," Mr Green said.

Commenting on his reasons for joining Minter Ellison Hong Kong, Mr Pellone said: "Clients are increasingly seeking tax advice from law firms because they want to ensure that the firm that provides the advice also assists with implementation and attendant legal documentation.

"Clients are also more concerned about risk management and being able to support and defend their tax positions when dealing with increasingly demanding tax officials, particularly in the emerging markets.
"Minter Ellison has one of the most respected tax law practices in Australia, with a long history of corporate lawyers and tax professionals working together to provide a one-stop, seamless service to clients. It's a combination of this teaming approach, depth of technical expertise, and bold expansion into Greater China and Asia generally that has drawn me to Minter Ellison Hong Kong."

Brief Bios:
Christian Pellone is a 20-year international tax veteran who has lived and worked in Australia, Hong Kong, the UK, Indonesia, and mainland China. He was formerly the Global Tax Desk Leader – Asia Pacific at EY and has advised many multinational companies on tax-effective structuring and risk management in the Asia Pacific region. He also spent three years as the European Tax Director for a Fortune 300 company. As a result, Christian offers clients a useful mix of professional tax advisory experience as well as a practical understanding of the issues, challenges and needs of in-house tax departments.
He has particular expertise in double tax treaty application and interpretation, and has liaised and worked with the OECD and leading European QCs on treaty-related matters. Christian has authored numerous international tax papers and has also been a guest lecturer at Monash University's International Tax Masters program.

Edward Lean is an international tax specialist with 10 years' experience working with financial institution clients. He was formerly a senior tax manager in EY London's Financial Services International Tax team and was seconded to EY Hong Kong to help build-out that firm's international tax advisory capability in the region.

He also worked as European tax manager for a US investment bank and private equity house. His particular specialisation is the taxation of financial instruments in an international context.