King & Wood Mallesons has sealed the hire of Baker & McKenzie's global head of private equity Mark McNamara, as the Sino-Australian giant seeks to bolster its M&A practice.

The firm, the result of the merger of Australia's Mallesons and China's King & Wood earlier this year, has recruited McNamara as its new head of private equity, as part of a wider strategy to grow its regional footprint and enhance key practice areas. He will make the move on 6 November.

As head of the private equity practice, McNamara will lead a team of around 60 partners and lawyers, working alongside partners Mike Barker, Lee Horan and Jason Watts. He will also assist the banking team, which includes partners Yuen-Yee Cho and Jeff Clark.

"Mark's arrival is part of our strategy to be the leading player in this market," said King & Wood Mallesons Australia managing partner Tony O'Malley. "The private equity market in Asia is set to grow."

Cho added: "I've worked with Mark on a number of transactions and his style and way of working fits perfectly with our approach. He is extremely well respected and has excellent relationships with key private equity players."

McNamara will initially be based in Sydney, but is expected to relocate to King & Wood Mallesons' Hong Kong office in the coming months.

The firm confirmed earlier this year that it expects to launch its combined Hong Kong office in the next year, bringing 34 partners and more than 124 legal professionals under one roof.

The Hong Kong practice, which is the only financially integrated arm of the partnership, is currently based in the legacy Mallesons office in Gloucester Tower in Central, with the legacy King & Wood base just 500 metres away in Hutchison House.