Gaven Cheong
Gaven Cheong
Partner
Contact
T: +[852] 2833 4993
Email
Gaven is Head of Investment Funds at Tiang & Partners. Prior to joining Tiang & Partners, Gaven was an equity partner in the investment funds group of Simmons & Simmons (Hong Kong), and before that, a Counsel in another reputable international investment funds practice in Hong Kong.
With nearly 20 years of fund formation and Hong Kong regulatory experience, Gaven is able to assist clients in the establishment and structuring of a diverse range of collective investment schemes including hedge funds, real estate funds, private equity arrangements, hybrid funds and other private investment structures, and regulatory advice in relation to investment management activity generally. He is also a pioneer in the crypto fund formation and regulatory advice space, having helped obtain the first regulatory licences in Hong Kong for the management of a fund of crypto funds and shortly after that, a pure virtual assets fund. Prior to becoming a funds lawyer, Gaven was a contentious insolvency lawyer with two other international firms. He regularly advises on the entire lifecycle of investment funds, from inception, restructuring through to termination.
Gaven is listed as an "Up and Coming" lawyer in "Investment Funds" by Chambers Greater China Region 2023 edition, a recommended individual in "Investment Funds" by Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2023 and "Private Funds – Formation" by Who's Who Legal 2022 edition. In recent editions of Chambers, clients praised Gaven for being "very technically sound", "practical and shrewd in terms of getting down to the key points in relation to any matter", "a very bright individual" and for having "good response time and a business mind". Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2023 also quoted clients as saying Gaven has "very strong structuring experience especially when it comes to digital assets", and is "very knowledgeable and commercial".
Gaven received his Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance), LL.B (Hons) and LL.M (Distinction) from the University of Western Australia. He is qualified to practise in Western Australia, Hong Kong and England & Wales. He is fluent in English and Cantonese, and is conversant in Mandarin.
Areas of expertise
- Investment funds (private hedge, PE and hybrid funds)
- Virtual assets - crypto fund formation and regulatory
- Financial services regulatory (primarily non-contentious)
- Fund and asset management-related disputes
Representative experience
- Advising as lead counsel on the establishment of a number of large and reputable private hedge fund and PE fund launches.
- Advising on a number of crypto fund launches.
- Advising fund managers and sponsors on the virtual assets regulatory regime in Hong Kong and assisting with applications to the SFC for various virtual assets licences.
- Providing general regulatory advice to numerous asset management, investment funds, private equity and other financial services companies.
- Advising on asset management-related disputes.