Betty Yap

Betty has extensive experience in advising private equity funds and other financial sponsors in buyout, growth capital and co-investment transactions, structured investments and exits, and advising financial institutions and corporates on complex cross-border mergers and acquisitions, divestments and joint ventures.

Betty is recognised by Chambers Greater China 2023 as a “Band 1” individual for private equity / buyouts & venture capital investment in China among international firms, describing her as a practice head who is a “really, really good practitioner” in private equity and M&A.

The Legal 500 Asia Pacific Hall of Fame has been featuring Betty for her excellent achievement in private equity work in Hong Kong since 2020, meriting her as a Leading Individual in this category for nine consecutive years.

Betty is named “Private Equity Lawyer of the Year” by Euromoney Women in Business Law Awards Asia Pacific 2022 and is shortlisted as “Dealmaker of the Year” by Asia Legal Business Hong Kong Law Awards 2022. IFLR1000 2022 ranked Betty as a “highly regarded” lawyer for M&A and private equity in Hong Kong and described her as a lawyer who “gives real value add in transactions and is able to navigate difficult parties to come to [a] resolution”. Betty is also recognised by Chambers Greater China and The Legal 500 Asia Pacific as a leading M&A lawyer in Hong Kong. For four consecutive years leading up to 2022, she has been listed on China Business Law Journal’s annual “A List” for her achievements in China-related legal work.

• Wumei on its EUR 1.9bn acquisition of Germany’s Metro AG’s retail, wholesale and cash and carry operations in China, including Metro AG’s majority interest in some 45 subsidiaries
• Hillhouse Capital on its investment in Magento Commerce, a global provider in cloud digital commerce innovation, and the subsequent US$1.68bn sale to Adobe
• A consortium of investors as a finalist bidder in the auction sale of Serta Simmons’ and King Koil’s China businesses by Advent International
• A consortium of investors as a finalist bidder in the auction sale of McDonald’s operations in mainland China, Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR which were sold for US$2.1bn
• Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan on its investment, alongside FountainVest Partners, in The Pure Group, a Hong Kong-based fitness and yoga centre operator and wellness brand, in an auction process
• Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan on its investment, alongside TPG, in Genting, the operator of Dream Cruise
• An international private equity investor on its co-investment in the HK$14.5bn acquisition of the fixed-line businesses in Hong Kong from Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong in an auction process
• Ageas on its acquisition of a 25% interest in Taiping Reinsurance Company Limited for US$400m
• An international private equity investor, alongside several Asia-based investors led by Yunfeng Financial Group, on the approximately US$1.768bn cash and stock acquisition of MassMutual Asia Ltd from MassMutual International LLC
• JD Capital on its acquisition of 100% of Ageas’ life insurance operations in Hong Kong for US$1.38bn, marking the first buyout of a Hong Kong insurance business by a private equity fund
• China Southern Grid on its acquisition, alongside China Light & Power, of a 60% shareholding in the Castle Peak Power Station in Hong Kong from ExxonMobil valued at close to US$4bn
• An international investor on its investment in CITIC Pacific Limited as part of the US$5.1bn fundraising by CITIC Pacific Limited to fund the US$36.6bn injection by CITIC Group

• University of Melbourne, B Com
• University of Melbourne, LLB (First Class Honours)
• University of Melbourne, LLM

Betty is fluent in English, Cantonese and Mandarin.