PROFESSIONALS

George Yu has over 20 years of legal experience in mainland China, Hong Kong and New York. He has extensive experience in foreign direct investment, M&A, capital markets, private equity and general corporate representations, and has handled cross-border mergers and acquisitions and capital market transactions for numerous Chinese and foreign clients.

George has focused his practice on cross-border financial and insurance M&A during the past 10 years, and has provided legal services to many large financial and insurance groups from Europe and the United States, including for example Chubb, Allianz, AXA, ERGO, AEGON, Swiss Re, SCOR Se, Munich Re and Citigroup. As a core member of the highly ranked JT&N Insurance Practice, George has extensive experience in P&C and life insurance and reinsurance transactions and regulatory matters, assisting clients with matters such as greenfield investment applications, joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions and restructuring, insurance funds investment, corporate governance, daily compliance.

George has represented clients in a range of high-profile transactions in the financial and insurance sectors, such as assisting Chubb in acquiring the shares of Huatai Insurance Group from almost 20 different shareholders (the second largest acquisition in the Chinese insurance sector, making Huatai the first foreign-controlled financial and insurance holding company in China), assisting Citigroup in selling its shares in China Guangfa Bank to China Life (the second largest acquisition in the Chinese banking sector), and assisting Allianz in establishing the first wholly foreign-owned insurance group company and the first wholly indirectly foreign-owned insurance asset management company in China.

George is ranked by Chambers and The Legal 500 for the insurance legal practice.

• Citigroup in its sale of China Guangfa Bank’s 20% shares to China Life Insurance, and in connection with IBM Credit’s sale of China Guangfa Bank’s 3.686% shares to China Life Insurance
• Tsinghua Tongfang in its purchase of 50% stake in Aegon CNOOC Life Insurance from CNOOC and its joint venture with Aegon
• ACE Group in its proposed purchase of 15% shares in Huatai Insurance Group held by China Resources, Bao Steel and CNOOC
• ACE Group in its purchase of 1.2433% shares of Huatai Insurance Group held by Jiangsu Yueda Investors in equity investments in Shin Kong-HNA Life
• Aegon in its investment in a PRC insurance agency company
• a foreign health technology company in its investment in a PRC insurance agency company
• a foreign health technology company in its investment in a PRC medical technology company
• an investor in its acquisition of a PRC insurance agency and investment fund sale company
• China aspects of the merger of XL Group and Catlin Group and the merger of AXA and XL Catlin
• China Hydroelectric Corporation in its Series A, Series B and Series C preferred share offerings

• Unilife Corp. in its redomiciliation in Delaware and initial public listing on NASDAQ and in two private placement transactions
• HeartWare International in its redomiciliation in Delaware and initial public listing on NASDAQ States and in two private placement transactions
• ChinaGrowth South Acquisition Corp. in its business combination with China TopReach Inc. (US$40 million)
• China Growth North Acquisition in its business combination with UIB Group Limited
• Atkins Nutritionals Inc. in its sale to North Castle Partners
• Otelco Inc. in its merger with Mid-Maine Communications Inc. and in its proposed acquisition of another telecom company
• Schick Technologies, Inc. in its merger with Sirona Dental Systems, Inc.
• China Hydroelectric Corporation in its U.S. IPO and NYSE listing
• Underwriters in the U.S. IPO and NYSE listing of 500.com Limited
• China Pioneer Pharma Limited in its Hong Kong IPO
• MagnaChip Semiconductor in its Rule 144A/Reg. S offerings of senior notes and initial public offering in the United States
• Atkins Nutritionals Inc. in its sale to North Castle Partners

• Columbia University, School of Law, J.D. (Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar)
• Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, School of Law, LLB (with highest honors)