David Chong, PBM
Co-Managing Partner
Telephone:
+65 6439 4838EMAIL:
david.chong@shooklin.comPractice Areas:
Sectors:
QUALIFICATIONS:
EDUCATION:
Languages:
David Chong specialises in corporate and corporate finance, with particular experience in the communications, media, technology, energy and natural resources sectors. He has particular experience in cross-border transactions, having started his career in London before relocating to Asia.
His principal focus is on mergers and acquisitions (both public and private), including tender offers, schemes, reverse takeovers, privatisations and delistings, joint ventures, MBOs, earn-outs, asset purchases, restructurings, antitrust and merger control.
He is a governor of the Singapore International Foundation, a director of Hotung Investment Holdings Ltd (SGX:BLS) and a member of the Catholic High School Management Committee.
He was also awarded the Public Service Medal (Pingat Bakti Masyarakat) by the President of the Republic of Singapore in 2022.
- Advised one of the bidders for ExxonMobil’s Singapore Esso petrol stations reportedly valued at about US$1 billion, being one of the first deals under the Significant Investments Review Act 2024;
- Acted as lead counsel to Thailand’s Betagro Group (SET:BTG) in its scheme take-over of Eggriculture Foods (SEHK: 8609) for a consideration of HK$444.38 million. Eggriculture Foods is one of Singapore’s largest producer of eggs and related poultry products;
- Acted as lead counsel to Top Global in the disposal of all of its shares in PT Suryamas Dutamakmur Tbk to Sinarmas Land for S$195 million;
- Acted as lead counsel to Grindrod Shipping (NASDAQ:GRIN / JSE:GSH) in respect of the acquisition of the residual minority shareholding by way of a selective capital reduction scheme pursuant to the Singapore Code on Take-overs and Mergers;
- Acted for Amos Group (AGL) in the voluntary offer by ShawKwei & Partners for AGL;
- Advised Taylor Maritime Investments (LON:TMI) on its voluntary offer for Grindrod Shipping Holdings (NASDAQ:GRIN / JSE:GSH) which valued GRIN at US$506 million. The offer was made in accordance with Regulations 14D and 14E under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Singapore Code on Take-overs and Mergers;
- Acted for Capital Engineering Network Public Company Limited (SET: CEN), as leader of a consortium proposing to make a voluntary general offer for ASTI Holdings;
- Advised Atome Financial (Atome), which operates Asia’s largest buy now pay later (BNPL) platform, and its parent Advance Intelligence Group in the strategic investment by Standard Chartered into Atome including a planned US$500 million financing to support Atome’s BNPL business;
- Acted for Roxy-Pacific Holdings (RPHL) in the S$632 million pre-conditional voluntary offer by TKL& Family for RPHL;
- Acted as solicitors to the S$232 million scheme take-over of Excelpoint Technology by WT Microelectronics;
- Advised Linklogis on the establishment of Olea, a Singapore-headquartered joint venture between Linklogis and Standard Chartered comprising a fully-digitised trade finance origination and distribution platform;
- Advised M1 Holdings as lead counsel in its acquisition of a majority stake in Glocomp Systems, a Malaysian-based ICT provider;
- Acted as Singapore counsel to Netfin Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ:NFIN), in its de-SPAC business combination with Triterras Fintech;
- Advised Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, the joint financial advisers to a consortium comprising Hillhouse Capital Group, HOPU Investment Management Group, the Bank of China Group Investment and Vanke Group in the private equity buyout scheme for Global Logistic Properties (GLP) for approximately US$11.6 billion. GLP, controlled by GIC, had conducted a competitive tender process to select the bidder;
- Advised Columbia Capital Partners in a complex leveraged scheme take-over of euNetworks Group, which values euNetworks at over US$400 million, and the subsequent acquisition debt push-down and restructuring of the group. The scheme consideration comprised either cash or interests in a US limited partnership;
- Advised Global Investment on its re-domiciliation from Bermuda to Singapore, the first re-domiciliation of an SGX-listed Bermudan company to Singapore;
- Advised Morgan Stanley and DBS, the joint financial advisers to a consortium led by CITIC, in relation to the take-private of Biosensors International Group by way of an amalgamation scheme, for approximately US$1.05 billion;
- Advised Felda Global Ventures on the US$195 million takeover of Asian Plantations (LON: PALA), a Singapore company listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange. This is the first take-over of an AIM-listed Singapore company under the Singapore Code on Take-vers and Mergers;
- Advised United Envirotech on the pre-conditional voluntary take-over offer by a consortium comprising CITIC and KKR, which valued United Envirotech at approximately US$1.5 billion;
- Advised Morgan Stanley in relation to various take-overs and mergers including:
- the US$8.4 billion proposed merger between SGX and ASX; and
- the US$2.8 billion contest between Khazanah Nasional and Fortis Healthcare to take over Parkway Holdings;
- Advised Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley, the joint financial advisers to DBS Group, on the proposed US$7.2 billion acquisition of Bank Danamon;
- Advised J.P. Morgan in relation to various takeovers including:
- the US$10.8 billion contest between OUE and TCC for Fraser & Neave; and
- the US$530 million contest between United Engineers and Straits Trading Company for WBL Corporation;
- Advised Nestlé in its scheme takeover of Hsu Fu Chi International for approximately US$1.7 billion;
- Advised Huaneng Power on the competitive tender and US$3.2 billion acquisition of Tuas Power;
- Acted as solicitors to the US$585 million scheme takeover of Unisteel Technology by KKR;
- Advised Sumitomo Corporation in its US$72 million acquisition of a strategic stake in C&O Pharmaceutical Technology.
Chambers Asia Pacific
- Ranked Individual in Corporate/M&A: Domestic (2013 – 2026)
Chambers Global
- Ranked Individual in Corporate/M&A (2013 – 2026)
Legal 500 Asia Pacific
- Leading Partner in Corporate/M&A (2023 – 2026)
- Recommended Individual in TMT: Local Firms (2014 – 2026)
- Recommended Individual in Start-Up and Venture Capital: Local Firms (2025 – 2026)
IFLR1000
- Highly Regarded Lawyer in M&A (2018 – 2025)
- Leading Lawyer in M&A (2012 – 2017)
Asialaw Profiles
- Distinguished Practitioner in Corporate and M&A (2020 – 2025)
Asia Business Law Journal
- Ranked in The A-List: Singapore’s Top 100 Lawyers (2018 – 2019, 2023 – 2026)
Chambers Global
- David Chong is an established name in Singapore’s legal market. He is specialised in M&A and experienced in advising clients on deals, including SPAC transactions, in the e-commerce, technology and manufacturing spaces. (2026)
Chambers Asia Pacific
- Noted to be adept at handling public and private M&A, joint ventures and asset purchases. He has consistently drawn praises from clients who are “extremely satisfied” and described him as “someone upon whom you can count to come up with creative solutions to push the deal through” (2025)
Legal 500 Asia Pacific
- “David Chong provides top notch advice, and brings commercial and market perspective to every legal engagement.” (2025)
- “David Chong is highly responsive and able to provide innovative commercial solutions to break negotiation deadlocks.” (2025)