Teresa Ko

Teresa Ko is Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s corporate partner and China chairman and the founding partner of Freshfields’ Asia equity capital markets practice.

Described as “an icon in the industry”, she is one of the most prominent corporate and securities lawyers in Hong Kong.

Over her career, Teresa has helped numerous Chinese state-owned, privately-owned and international companies to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE), including advising on eight out of the ten largest IPOs in Hong Kong. She also has an impressive record on public and private M&A transactions and advises on joint ventures and corporate governance matters.

Among her many public service appointments, Teresa currently serves as one of two vice-chairs of the IFRS Foundation Trustees and as chair its Due Process Oversight Committee. She is also a member of the Trustee Sustainability Steering Committee which was formed to oversee the establishment of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and the publication of the IFRS Foundation’s consultation paper on sustainability reporting.

She was appointed as the first female to chair the Hong Kong Stock Exchange’s Listing Committee in 2009 and was deputy chair for three years before. She currently serves as co-chair of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange’s Listing Review Committee.

She also served as a non-executive director of the Securities and Futures Commission in 2012 to 2018.