WFW enhances pan-Asian energy offering with double partner hire
London, 08 April 2024, (Oilandgaspress): – Watson Farley & Williams (“WFW”) is delighted to announce that leading energy experts Clarinda Tjia-Dharmadi and Merrick White recently joined the firm as partners in Singapore from McDermott, Will & Emery.
Clarinda also joins the firm’s seven partner Global Energy Sector Steering Group, whose critical responsibilities include promoting increased collaboration and communication across WFW’s Energy Sector worldwide and elevating the firm’s global energy brand and offering in the sector. As part of her new role, she will be directly responsible for leading on the strategic expansion of the firm’s existing energy practice to give it the market-leading position across the wider Asia Pacific region that it already enjoys in Vietnam thanks to WFW’s highly esteemed Asia Projects Head Linh Doan.
Clarinda specialises in project development and finance and has over two decades’ experience in advising developers, sponsors, commercial lenders, multilateral agencies, export credit agencies and governments on many of Asia’s landmark power, oil and gas, petrochemicals, infrastructure and mining projects. A former Global Co-Chair of Latham & Watkins’ Energy Practice, her deals often involve bespoke and novel structures, many of which are “first-of–their-kind” that become the precedent for subsequent projects.
She has exceptional expertise in the Indonesian energy sector. At the vanguard of power and renewables in Indonesia, she has advised sponsors, developers and lenders on the most ground-breaking projects in the sector since the inception of Indonesia’s IPP programme. She has also advised oil majors, foreign investors and numerous key government agencies on Indonesia’s largest oil and gas, LNG and petrochemical projects.
Merrick has a broad and expert understanding of the global energy industry and a history of success in the sector. His practice focusses on global oil, gas, LNG, refining, petrochemical and power project development. He advises on all aspects of energy development projects and transactions, from the granting of upstream concession agreements, all areas of upstream, LNG and petrochemical project development to the acquisition and disposal of energy assets.
Merrick’s expertise extends to renewable power and transition projects, including geothermal, wind, solar, hydro, waste to power, battery storage, hydrogen and ammonia development projects and carbon capture. In addition, he is a chartered chemical engineer and has spent over 26 years in Asia – including seven in Jakarta – successfully developing major infrastructure projects across the region as well as in the Middle East and Africa.
WFW Global Energy Sector Co-Head Henry Stewart commented: “I am thrilled to welcome Merrick and Clarinda to WFW. Their experience and expertise across the energy sector is second-to-none and will transform our offering in Asia and be instrumental in helping our clients achieve their objectives in this thriving region”.
Clarinda commented: “I am delighted to join WFW’s dynamic team with its particular strength in the energy transition and an ambitious strategy to further build out its highly regarded energy practice. I especially look forward to working alongside Henry, Linh and all my new colleagues to help better bring together the firm’s energy capabilities across its global platform and leveraging Merrick and my expertise to help expand WFW’s Asian energy and projects offering to clients looking for sophisticated legal solutions on their most consequential transactions”.
Merrick added: “It is a pleasure to join WFW. The firm’s presence on the ground in key Asian business hubs will enable me to expand my practice, particularly in Bangkok, Hanoi, Seoul and Tokyo all strong regional energy hubs for Upstream, LNG and Power. I look forward to collaborating with WFW’s many leading energy and projects experts to help further develop and enhance the practice, as well as continuing to work with my colleague Clarinda”.
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