Vario, Pinsent Masons’ flexible-lawyer arm, is expanding its reach into Hong Kong with the appointment of Kirsty Dougan as Asia managing director.

The Hong Kong office comes on the heels of Vario’s office openings in Australia in 2017, and in Singapore last year.

Dougan, who co-founded the APAC offering of NewLaw firm Axiom, and also served as its regional managing director for eight years, has previously held senior legal, strategy and business roles in the UK, China, Hong Kong and Singapore. Prior to her time with Axiom, she was a Shanghai-based regional counsel for alcoholic beverages company Diageo.

“I am thrilled to be joining Vario just as the firm launches in Hong Kong. This launch is not just about opening another office in the region, it’s about integrating Vario into the legal market in the region,” said Dougan in a statement.

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