Mark Yeadon

Experience Highlights

Prior to joining Conyers, Mark has acted on a broad range of matters including :

Winding Up and Shareholder Dispute Proceedings

• Advising respectively the majority and minority shareholders in a number of substantial disputes where the minority has sought either a winding up order on the just and equitable ground or relief for unfair prejudice; advising a Norwegian minority shareholder in a dispute with a Hong Kong listed company and its majority shareholders involving contested winding up and unfair prejudice proceedings in Bermuda.

Insolvency Winding Up Proceedings

• Advising respectively the companies and creditors in relation to aspects of restructurings; advising counterparties of the Peregrine Group on the effect of the insolvency of group companies on transactions with those companies.

Investment and Advisory Disputes
Advising:

• a private equity investor in relation to a dispute over its investment in a joint venture in India.
• JPMorgan in relation to its defence of a multimillion dollar claim brought by Malaysian Newsprint Industries concerning its role in the financing of a project in Malaysia which involved parallel proceedings in London and Malaysia and jurisdictional challenges in both courts.
• a minority shareholder in a dispute with a private equity house over the disposal of his interest and its valuation.
• a UK listed vendor over the effect of negligent statements made by the investment bank advisers of the purchaser of its money broking subsidiaries as to the purchaser’s financial ability to complete the purchase – settled after 5 years litigation by a nine figure sterling payment to the vendor.

Derivatives
Advising:

• an Indonesian listed company in relation to claims against a US investment bank for substantial losses incurred on missold currency and interest rate swaps.
• several international financial institutions on their interest rate and swap exposure to the collapsed Peregrine Group.
• Robinson Department Store of Thailand in a test case before the English High Court brought by the liquidators of Peregrine Fixed Income Limited concerning the proper interpretation of the Market Quotation and Loss formulae in the 1992 ISDA Master Agreement; the key issue was the relevance of the credit standing of a non-defaulting counterparty in assessing the settlement amount payable under the ISDA terms.
• a Malaysian bank in proceedings and a mediation concerning the effect of currency controls introduced by the Malaysian Central Bank on a series of swaps with a Japanese Bank.
• the Hong Kong Health Authority Pension Fund in relation to its claim against its US financial adviser for failure to disclose the use of leverage as an element of investments in securitised US sub-prime mortgage loans-resolved with a multimillion US dollar injection into the Fund.

Fraud
Advising:

• JP Morgan in relation to the recovery of US$85 million fraudulently transferred from its Sydney Australia branch to HSBC in Hong Kong which involved obtaining mareva injunctions and responding to competing claims for fund transferred under a mistake of fact. Ultimately 98% of the funds were recovered.
• a fund manager in proceedings against its staff for accepting incentives to invest in certain companies

Relationships between Financial Institutions and their Service Providers
Advising a major international commercial bank in relation to:

• the termination of its insurance arrangements with its domestic mortgage lending insurer, ultimately settled after two mediations in parallel with arbitration proceedings initiated by the insurer.
• claims brought against it by its joint venture credit card issuer following the collapse of an airline.
• advising two leading banks on their response to investigations by the HKMA into complaints of mis-selling financial products

Relevant Experience of advising on regulatory matters
In relation to regulatory matters in Hong Kong has involved advising:

• Corporates which are conducting internal investigations into irregularities.
• Corporates and individual directors involved in regulatory investigations (typically those initiated by the SFC, HKSE and HKMA).
• Regulators conducting investigations and industry consultations.
• Acting in numerous high profile judicial review proceedings in the broadcasting and telecoms industry.

Professional Background

• Partner, Eversheds Sutherland, Hong Kong
• Partner, Slaughter and May, Hong Kong
• Assistant Solicitor, Slaughter and May, Hong Kong
• Assistant Solicitor, Slaughter and May, London
• Assistant Solicitor, Johnson Stokes & Master, Hong Kong
• Assistant Solicitor, Freshfields, London

Education

• King Edward VII School, Lytham, Lancashire UK
• Avon Old Farms School, Connecticut USA (ESU Scholarship)
• Pembroke College, University of Oxford (MA (Jurisprudence) 1978)

Bar Admissions

• Hong Kong, Solicitor, 1985
• England and Wales, Solicitor, 1981

Awards & Accolades

• Mark has been consistently listed in legal directories as a Leading Individual for Dispute Resolution. He has been described by Chambers Asia as “excellent and practical” and “thorough and diligent”. He has been praised for his “thorough, realistic strategies and ability to get right to the point.”

• “Department head Mark Yeadon is deemed by sources to be ‘very diligent’ and ‘very hands on.” Clients also appreciate that he is “easy to work with” and note that he provides “measured advice.” He advises clients on disputes in the financial services, broadcasting and telecommunications sectors. - Chambers Asia Pacific 2018

• “Mark Yeadon is noted for his involvement in contentious regulatory work. He advises clients across a wide range of sectors, including the financial services, broadcasting and telecommunications sectors.” - Chambers Asia Pacific 2019

• “Mark Yeadon leads the firm's dispute resolution practice group in Asia and offers notable experience in handling disputes arising in the financial services and TMT sectors. He is well placed to represent clients in judicial review proceedings and acts on behalf of both regulators and regulated entities.” - Chambers Asia Pacific 2020

• “Mark Yeadon has an exceptionally calm and measured approach to clients’ legal matters, providing sharp insights drawn from a wealth of experience in the commercial litigation field. He also has particular expertise in the immensely important and often contentious field of telecommunications regulation.” - Asia Pacific Legal 500 (2020)

• “Mark Yeadon leads a team with great expertise in telecoms matters, including competition issues.” - Asia Pacific Legal 500 (2020)

• “Mark Yeadon has huge experience of the sector and excellent judgment of litigation issues.” - Asia Pacific Legal 500 (2020)

Associations

• Member of the Judicial Board of World Sailing
• Member of the General Committee and Hon Secretary of Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club

Languages

• English