Baker McKenzie and its member firms collectively won 14 awards at the International Tax Review Asia Pacific Tax Awards 2024, reaffirming the Firm's position as "First in Asia Pacific" for tax services.
The Firm took home eight jurisdictional awards, including member firm Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow bagging the title "Singapore Tax Law Firm of the Year". The awards won were:
- Australia Tax Firm of the Year
- China Tax Law Firm of the Year
- Hong Kong SAR Tax Law Firm of the Year
- Japan Tax Law Firm of the Year
- Singapore Tax Law Firm of the Year — Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow
- Thailand Tax Disputes Firm of the Year
- Thailand Tax Firm of the Year
- Vietnam Tax Disputes Firm of the Year
The Firm was also awarded two "Impact Deal of the Year" awards in recognition of the innovative transactional tax work it undertook in relation to two transactions that have had a transformative impact on the client's business and the wider industry. The two deals were:
- Bristol Myers Squibb's acquisition of the ORM-6151 Program from Orum Therapeutics
- ASE Technology Holding's reorganization and equity sale
In addition to the Firm's awards, four individuals were recognized as outstanding practitioners in their respective areas. They are as follows:
- Tax Attorney of the Year —Dawn Quek, tax principal and head of Wealth Management, Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow, Singapore
Dawn Quek is a leading tax and private client lawyer in Singapore with two decades of experience in corporate tax and international tax planning. Dawn provides and coordinates regional and local tax advice for multinational corporations and financial institutions on cross-border transactions and tax restructuring. She also assists high net-worth families with their tax, trust and estate planning issues on a multijurisdictional basis.
- Transfer Pricing Attorney of the Year — Geoffrey K Soh, head of Transfer Pricing, Baker McKenzie, Bangkok
Geoff is a seasoned transfer pricing specialist with over 26 years of experience in transfer pricing in Thailand, Singapore and Canada. He has successfully managed and directed over 1,500 international transfer pricing engagements — encompassing the documentation compliance, tax planning, audit defense, and dispute resolution aspects of transfer pricing.
- Tax Controversy Rising Star — Jeremiah Soh, local principal, Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow, Singapore
Jeremiah’ practice focuses on dealing with tax controversies and disputes with the tax authorities. He has represented clients in tax appeals before all levels of the Singapore courts, and has successfully assisted clients in achieving favorable outcomes in some reported landmark decisions. He has also assisted clients to achieve cost-effective solutions by resolving disputes with the tax authorities through effective advocacy outside the tax appeal process.
- Indirect Tax Rising Star — Sirirasi Gobpradit, partner, Baker McKenzie, Bangkok
Sirirasi has extensive experience in providing tax advice for M&As and corporate restructuring, conducting tax health checks, providing tax advice for real estate and cross-border transactions, and advising on general tax planning. Sirirasi's practice also focuses on handling tax audit and tax disputes with the tax authorities.
Commenting on the wins, Adeline Wong, head of Baker McKenzie's Asia Pacific Tax Practice Group, said: “The spread of the categories in which we won demonstrates the strength of our Asia Pacific's tax service offering, underpinned by strong local practices and global insights and experience. They also attest to our commitment to providing innovative solutions to our clients' complex tax matters to help transform their businesses. It is extremely pleasing to see our hard work and expertise being recognized by our clients and our peers.”
“I would like to congratulate Dawn, Geoff, Jeremiah and Sirirasi on their personal achievements, and also our teams in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam on their wins.”
The International Tax Review Asia-Pacific Tax Awards recognizes the most outstanding tax, transfer pricing, tax disputes, and indirect tax teams and practitioners across the region. Nominees are assessed based on four dimensions: scale, innovation, complexity, and impact.
With more than 900 tax practitioners in over 40 countries, Baker McKenzie's Tax Practice Group is one of the largest and most highly regarded in the world. The practice collaborates across borders and specialties to stay abreast of changing tax landscapes worldwide. Clients turn to the Firm for high quality tax advice in transactions, as well as in global tax policy, transfer pricing, indirect tax, dispute resolution and wealth management matters worldwide. Learn more about our tax capabilities here.