Kristy Calvert
Founder and Managing Partner, Asia Pacific
Biography
Ms Calvert has over 20 years of experience working on cross-border transactions including general corporate and commercial law matters, the establishment and maintenance of investment funds and the structuring of complex M&A, JV, private equity, mining and capital markets transactions. In addition, Ms Calvert has extensive experience in the Digital Assets, Blockchain and Web 3.0 industries having serviced some of the leading players in this space globally including the world’s top 5 crypto exchanges. Having served many leading Asia Pacific based clients with their offshore structuring, Ms Calvert has led and resolved many complex shareholder disputes and restructuring matters.
Prior to Martins and Calvert, which she co-founded, Ms Calvert worked on many high profile cross-border M&A and capital markets transactions at two leading international US law firms, Weil Gotshal & Manges and Sidley Austin. She also held the position of Managing Partner, Shanghai and Managing Director, China at two leading international offshore law firm. Before that she also held a senior in-house position in the Asia Pacific as Legal Director – China/Asia at Rio Tinto working in its Melbourne and Shanghai Offices.
Further, Ms Calvert has also acted as offshore adviser to global and private equity sponsors and strategic investors on various securities and financing transactions. She often assists her corporate clients with their global structuring to include an offshore component to advise on their offshore regulatory and compliance including various licensing applications.
In Australia, Ms Calvert has also worked as an adviser at the Australian Government Federal Treasury on FTA negotiations with ASEAN countries, taxation and competition law policies and reforms. She started her legal training in Australia with Freehills in Melbourne. In 2008-2009, Ms Calvert served on the Board of the Australia China Business Council, Victoria Division.
Ms Calvert is regularly featured and quoted in external publications and was named in:
- The 2018 China Business Law Journal: Top 50 Elite Foreign Lawyers in China
- The 2011 Asian Legal Business Hot 100 list of pre-eminent lawyers in Asia
- The 2011 Asian Legal Business Hot 40 list of pre-eminent lawyers in Australia and New Zealand
- The 2011 inaugural Euromoney Legal Media Group Asia Women in Business Law Awards’ shortlist of female candidates
Ms Calvert co-founded a general counsel association for multi-national companies working in the PRC. In 2012, she also co-founded a senior women’s network, allowing female leaders to interact with each other in a social forum to share ideas and interests.
Ms Calvert is a native speaker and writer of English, Mandarin and Shanghainese.
Practice Areas
Corporate and M&A, Investment Funds, Dispute Resolution, Crypto / Digital Assets, Regulatory & Licensing, Banking and Finance