UK law firm Trowers & Hamlins has expanded its newly launched Singapore office with the hire of energy and projects expert Ignatius Hwang, a former managing partner of the local offices of McDermott Will & Emery, Squire Patton Boggs, and the legacy Bryan Cave.

With more than 30 years of experience in the energy, infrastructure and resources projects practice in the Asia-Pacific region, Hwang is believed to have advised the Singapore government on almost every PPP project in the city-state to date. A Trowers release said he “has very much helped shaped the development of the PPP model in Singapore.”

Before joining Trowers, Hwang briefly ran his own firm Magellan Law, and also founded sustainable energy solutions provider Garnet Energie. Prior to that, he led the Singapore offices of McDermott Will & Emery, Squire Patton Boggs, and Bryan Cave. Earlier in his career, he headed the energy and resources practice for Asia at Freehills (now Herbert Smith Freehills).

Abdulhaq Mohammed, Trowers’ head of Asia, said in a statement that Hwang, who joins as a consultant, boasts “an exceptional track record and industry knowledge in the energy and infrastructure sector in this region, and I believe he will be a huge asset to us."

The Singapore office is Trowers’ second outpost in Asia after Kuala Lumpur. The new office, which aims to tap into the rising demand for energy and infrastructure projects in the region, currently has one partner and five fee-earners in total.