Shearman & Sterling has named Hong Kong partner Lorna Chen as the firm's Asia regional managing partner – the first woman to lead the firm's Asia operations.

An investment funds specialist, Chen holds the title jointly with Tokyo office head and corporate partner Masahisa Ikeda. Meanwhile, Chen joins Shearman's firmwide executive group, a leadership committee chaired by firm senior partner David Beveridge, and will continue to lead Shearman's Greater China practice. Ikeda is the other Asia-based member of the executive group.

Chen joined Shearman in 2001 straight out of Columbia Law School and became a partner in 2011. She moved to Hong Kong from New York in 2008 and has been Greater China head since late 2017.

She succeeds Singapore partner Bill McCormack, who previously led the regional practice with Ikeda. McCormack will continue his project development and finance practice in Singapore.

Shearman has lawyers practising in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo and Singapore. Last year, it also launched an office in Seoul.