Frank Sun, Co-Deputy Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins’ Asia offices, advises clients on complex private equity investment and M&A transactions.

A native Mandarin speaker focusing on multijurisdictional work, Frank has practiced law in London, Beijing, New York, and Hong Kong, and combines nearly two decades of local market knowledge in Greater China and broad transactional experience to provide solutions to private equity funds and corporate clients in a wide range of cross-border transactions, including:

  • Control acquisitions
  • Growth capital investments
  • US take private
  • Hong Kong public takeovers
  • Private investments in public equity (PIPEs)

A recognized leader at the firm, Frank has served on the firm’s Training and Career Enhancement Committee and Recruiting Committee.

Frank’s recent experience includes advising:

Control Acquisitions

  • Animoca Brands, a global digital assets leader, on its proposed reverse merger with Nasdaq-listed Currenc Group
  • Fedrigoni, a global manufacturer in specialty papers for luxury packaging and other creative applications, on its proposed acquisition of a majority stake in BoingTech, a subsidiary of Shanghai Inlay Link Inc (a NEEQ-listed Chinese holding company) and pioneer in the manufacturing of RFID inlays and tags
  • Loscam on its acquisition of CHEP China, a China-based subsidiary of Brambles and provider of pallet and automotive pooling operations
  • MBK Partners on its US$950 million acquisition of ocean parks across China from Hong Kong-listed hospitality group Haichang Ocean Park Holdings Ltd.
  • Trustar Capital, formerly CITIC Capital Partners, on the:
    • Acquisition of Salion Food Condiment Company Limited, a condiment and seasoning manufacturer with its principal business in China
    • Acquisition of Amoy Food Limited and other assets related to the “AMOY” brand sauce and frozen food business from Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
    • Acquisition of a 55% stake in China Merchants Loscam International Holdings Co., Limited from HK-listed Sinotrans, together with FountainVest
    • Acquisition of Axilone, a France-based manufacturer of premium plastic and metal packaging for global cosmetics brands
    • Sale of a controlling stake in King Koil Shanghai Sleep System Co., Ltd., a manufacturer and retailer of premium mattresses in China, to Advent International
  • Carlyle Asia Partners on the sale of its controlling stake in Crystal Orange Hotel Holdings, a boutique hotel operator in China
  • Sinotrans Limited, the largest integrated logistics service provider in China, in its €385.7 million 100% acquisition of KLG Europe, a leading logistics solutions provider in Europe, in a two-step acquisition
  • Vipshop Holdings on its acquisition of Shan Shan Commercial Group, a China-based owner and operator of a chain of outlets

Public M&As

  • Geely Group, a leading automobile manufacturer in China, on its joint venture with Renault Group, under which Geely Group acquired a 26.4% stake in Renault do Brasil
  • A buyer consortium led by Mr. Bing Zhang, the chief executive officer and chairman of Glory Star New Media Group Holdings Limited (GSMG), in the proposed going private of GSMG
  • Trustar Capital, formerly CITIC Capital Partners, as a major member of the buyer consortium on the US$4.76 billion privatization of US-listed China Biologic Products Holdings Inc., a developer of plasma-based therapies
  • Haier Electronics Group on its proposed acquisition of a controlling stake in Ozner Water International Holding Limited, a China-based water and air purification company listed in Hong Kong

PIPEs

  • Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency and blockchain infrastructure providers, on its proposed US$200 million strategic investment in Forbes, the iconic US business information brand
  • CPPIB on its US$100 million investment in HUTCHMED (previously known as Hutchison China MediTech), a Hong Kong-based biopharmaceutical company listed on HKSE, Nasdaq, and AIM
  • The Carlyle Group on its acquisition through its fund, CAP V Mauritius, of a 5% stake in Shenzhen Salubris Pharmaceuticals, an A-share listed biopharmaceutical company
  • L Catterton Asia on its investment with JD.com in NASDAQ-listed Secoo Holding Limited, Asia’s largest online integrated upscale products and services platform, through a subscription of convertible note and warrant
  • Orix Asia Capital and Asian Development Bank on the subscription of new shares and warrants issued by Hong Kong-listed United Photovoltaics Group Limited, which is sought to raise equity and debt financing to redeem a certain portion of its outstanding convertible bonds
  • China Traditional Chinese Medicine Holdings Co. Limited on placing 604.3 million shares to Ping An Life Insurance Company of China for HK$2.68 billion

Growth Capital

  • Airwallex, a leading global financial platform for modern businesses, on its US$330 million Series G financing, and previously on its Series F financing
  • Primavera on the:
    • Series B financing of Zoox, a leading US autonomous-driving startup based in Silicon Valley
    • Series C financing of LoveBonito, Singapore's leading fashion online store for women's wear
    • Series E financing of Bytedance, a Chinese internet technology company
    • Series B financing of Hex Trust, digital asset custody platform
    • Series A financing for a Chinese biomedical company
  • Boyu Capital on the Series D financing of Klook, Asia’s largest in-destination services booking platform
  • ORIX Asia Capital on the:
    • Series D financing of Dianrong, a China-based online platform for borrowing and lending money
    • Investing in WeCash, a China-based online credit evaluation platform
  • The Carlyle Group on the Series D financing of Abbisko Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company
  • A leading state owned investment firm on the:
    • Series C financing of a cryptocurrency-trading platform
    • An investment into a Hong Kong-based gamification and blockchain leader
    • Series A-3 financing of an AI company based in China
    • An equity and token investment into a China-based GameFi/AI platform
  • PE investors on their minority investment in Arrail Group Limited, a leading private dental service provider in China
  • Beijing Kuaishou Technology Co., Ltd, a technology company that develops content sharing platforms, on the Series F financing
  • An international PE investor on the Series C investment in Ant International, an innovative technology provider

Bar Qualification

  • Hong Kong (Solicitor)
  • New York

Education

  • LLM, Harvard Law School
    FY Chang Scholar
  • LLM, University College London
    Herbert Smith Scholar
  • LLM, Peking University
  • BA in Economics, Peking University
  • LLB, Peking University

Languages Spoken

  • English
  • Chinese (Mandarin)