Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) has strengthened its Singapore office with the hire of three partners.

The new recruits will take the firm to 18 partners in Singapore and 58 partners across the Asia-Pacific region.

Finance partner Siri Wennevik joins from Wikborg Rein, energy partner Alistair Duffield was Berwin Leighton Paisner's (BLP) Southeast Asia head until 2015 and has recently been leading a legal consultancy, while corporate partner Ivan Chia joins from Watson Farley & Williams.

Wennevik, who had been a partner in Norwegian shipping firm Wikborg Rein's Singapore office since 2013, has a practice focused on shipping and offshore finance transactions.

Duffield, who was previously a partner at HFW between 2003 and 2011 and also had stints as a partner at White & Case in addition to BLP, was most recently leading a legal recruitment business and a strategic risk consultancy in Singapore. He acts for energy and mining companies on M&A deals and project finance matters.

Chia joins from Watson Farley, where he has been a partner since 2012. He advises clients on energy and transport deals, with a particular focus on the renewable energy sector.

HFW senior partner Richard Crump, who is based in Singapore, said: "These hires reflect another significant step in the continued development of the firm's practice in Singapore and Asia-Pacific, which is a strategic priority for the firm."

The firm has been on an expansion drive in Asia, striking associations with Chinese firm Wintell & Co in 2016 and Jakarta-based Rahayu & Partners in November 2017.

In January 2017, HFW merged with 20-lawyer Houston firm Legge Farrow, giving the firm its first foothold in the US.