Chinese meat processing giant Shuanghui International has hired Simpson Thacher & Bartlett senior associate Sandra Kister as its new general counsel.

Kister, who previously worked in the corporate practice of the Wall Street firm, was recruited by Simpson Thacher in 2007. She worked in New York for two years before relocating to Asia to do a one-year public interest fellowship with not-for-profit organisation Grameen Foundation. 

She joined the Hong Kong practice of Simpson Thacher in 2010, where she worked on transactions including the purchase of social networking site Weibo this April by internet search giant Alibaba.

Shuanghui is in the process of acquiring US pork producer Smithfield Foods for $7.1bn (£4.7bn). The GC role being taken by Kister is a newly-created position at the Chinese company. 

Representing Shuanghui on the deal were US firms Paul Hastings and Troutman Sanders, while Simpson Thacher led for Smithfields alongside McGuireWoods.

Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom acted for financial adviser Barclays. Shuanghui has since entered into a facilities agreement with a group of banks to raise funds for the acquisition, securing $4bn (£2.56bn) in debt finance this month.

Paul Hastings and Troutman Sanders again represented the company, while Allen & Overy  acted for the banks alongside offshore firm Walkers and Chinese outfit Jingtian & Gongcheng.

The deal, which has been controversial among the American public, will create one of the largest global pork producers, processing and packaged meat companies in the world if approved.