He has extensive experience of guiding clients through new market entries, complex M&A, joint ventures and corporate closures across eastern Asia. Clients appreciate his responsiveness and commercially-savvy, solutions-orientated advice, and his particular expertise in many highly-regulated business sectors.
He is also one of a small number of genuine sanctions experts based in Asia, having spent many years advising, presenting and training on sanctions across the world.
Jonathan’s career has taken him to New York, London and Asia, latterly Singapore where he has now been based for several years. He is an Asia specialist, having spent over 20 years assisting clients in doing business throughout the region, including in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
His corporate work includes advising on market entry and expansion, whether by new business establishment or mergers & acquisitions, as well as joint ventures, corporate reorganisations, corporate closures, run-offs and disposals.
Jonathan also advises on US and other economic sanctions & trade controls, especially those administered and enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Bureau of Industry & Security (BIS). He provides sanctions due diligence checks, advisory work in relation to sanctions-affected deals, trades, individuals, companies, groups, countries, commodities, vessels and aircraft, in both contentious and non-contentious scenarios; advises on import/export requirements, restraints, controls and licensing; obtains specific licences from sanctions regulators; represents individuals in delisting applications and conducts sanctions staff training.
Among a broad base of clients, he regularly advises and assists various high-profile insurance, financial services, energy, marine and commodities sector businesses. He has also been seconded to the operations of a US-based global insurance group, and one of the world’s largest insurance brokerages.