Biography
Kenny Yu is Counsel in the Corporate Department of the Firm’s Shanghai and Hong Kong offices. Kenny focuses on advising global and regional private equity funds and other financial and strategic investors in competitive and proprietary buyouts, divestitures, joint ventures, growth equity investments, PIPE transactions as well as investments in private funds. Prior to joining Weil, he worked at leading international law firms in Beijing, Hong Kong and London.
Kenny was named a “Rising Star” in the Private Equity (including Venture Capital) category at Euromoney’s Rising Stars Awards Asia-Pacific 2022 and a “Rising Star of the Year” at the IFLR Asia-Pacific Awards 2021. He is listed as a key lawyer in the Weil China Private Equity group by Legal 500 Asia Pacific, where clients refer to him as an “outstanding bilingual commercial/deal lawyer” who “stands out of the crowd”.
He is a native Mandarin speaker.
Kenny’s recent representations include:
- Advent International in multiple matters, including (1) the acquisition by BioDuro, LLC (a portfolio company of Advent International), a global life sciences contract research and development organization, of Sundia MediTech Company Ltd., a provider of life sciences research, development and manufacturing services based in China, (2) the leveraged acquisition of a 60% interest in Wagas Group, a leading lifestyle F&B group, in an auction process and (3) the investment in LBS Group, a leading pest control operation and hygiene solutions provider in Greater China
- Sun Capital Partners in the acquisition by Vetrerie Riunite Group (a portfolio company of Sun Capital Partners), a global leading manufacturer of technical glass for household appliances, of Suizhong Minghui Industrial Technology Co, Ltd., one of the largest Chinese household appliance glass manufacturers
- CBC, formerly C-Bridge Capital, as the lead investor on the consortium aspects of its acquisition of 43% equity in Yaneng Bioscience (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Yaneng) for an aggregate consideration of US$390 million
- Baring Private Equity Asia in the US$300 million acquisition by Baring and CITIC Capital of Wall Street English from Pearson PLC
- A consortium led by Creat Group in its £820 million acquisition of Bio Products Laboratory Ltd., a UK-headquartered plasma bio-therapeutics company
- CVC Asia Pacific in its US$132.5 million exit of a majority stake in Da Niang Dumplings, a famous Chinese fast food restaurant chain
- A Singapore sovereign wealth fund in its investments in Bytedance
- Primavera Capital as lead investor in the funding round for Xingsheng Youxuan, a chain of small neighborhood convenience stores in China that operates an e-commerce platform for the sale of fresh produce
- Pinduoduo Inc in its subscription of US$200 million convertible bonds issued by and strategic partnership with GOME Retail Holdings Limited (HKEX stock code: 493.HK)
- Eli Lilly on the corporate aspects in its strategic collaboration and license agreement with Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co., Ltd. for the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of two antibodies for the prevention and treatment of the COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus
- ANZ on A$1.84 billion sale of its 20% stake in Shanghai Rural Commercial Bank to COSCO Shipping and Shanghai Sino-Poland Enterprise Management Development
- China Mobile in its participation in True Corporation Public Company Limited's rights issue of transferable subscription rights to existing shareholders in Thailand
- A leading US-based multinational technology company in its 100% acquisition of an AI business in China that provides visual content commercial solutions
- ICBC on the establishment of a Hong Kong asset management joint venture company in connection with a €10 billion investment fund known as Sino-CEE Fund
- COFCO International Limited in its US$750 million acquisition of the remaining 49% stake in global agricultural trading and processing platform Noble Agri Limited from Singapore-listed Noble Group Limited
*Includes matters handled prior to joining Weil