Overview
Alex Roberts leads Linklaters’ China Technology, Media and Telecommunications and Intellectual Property team from Shanghai, and has extensive experience in advising clients on doing business in China and cross-border transactions with a China element.
Alex advises on corporate mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances and partnerships, and regulatory compliance, including cybersecurity, data privacy, data management and licensing. He works extensively with multinational and Chinese clients spanning a range of sectors, including software, artificial intelligence, financial services and life sciences.
Alex’s expertise extends to navigating emerging and disruptive technologies, responding to regulatory change, and the increasing convergence between technology, data and ESG.
Experience
- Advised Novartis on the mainland China aspects of its £11bn global three-part transaction with GlaxoSmithKline to acquire GSK’s oncology portfolio, create a consumer healthcare joint venture, and sell its non-influenza vaccines business
- Advised Citi on the sale of its consumer banking franchise in China to HSBC, focussing on crucial data migration and system access issues in an environment of heightened regulatory scrutiny on data protection in mainland China
- Advised Hony Capital on the c. £900m acquisition of Gondola Investments Limited, PizzaExpress (Franchises) Limited and PizzaExpress Greater China Limited, the companies which own and/or operate Pizza Express restaurants in the UK, Hong Kong, mainland China and 11 other jurisdictions
- Advised various multinational banks and corporates on reviewing their customer-and vendor-facing privacy policies and transfer agreements, including preparing comprehensive data localisation and transfer guides to assist with implementation of China's Personal Information Protection Law, Data Security Law, and industry-level rules
- Advised ELEX, the Chinese-headquartered games developer, on GDPR data compliance matters in the EU, including user interface privacy-by-design review, online marketing (including the use of new technologies), privacy policies and child age issues
- Advised one of Asia’s largest payment platforms on review under China's generative AI rules of its terms of service for a new AI tool, together with app walk-through advice
- Advised a global provider of cancer and cardiac care services on internet content licensing and data protection considerations for establishing a remote diagnosis platform in partnership with Chinese hospitals, in order to link local doctors specialising in cancer treatment with international practitioners
- Advised one of the world’s largest tech venture capital investment funds and a world-wide provider of working capital finance on the PRC regulatory and data protection aspects of their expansion into the mainland Chinese market (including, in the case of the latter, the establishment of a digital trade finance platform)
- Advised a multinational automotive enterprise in respect to data transfer, consumer protection and unfair contract terms relating to its proposed electric car online remote update system
- Advised a multinational insurance company on cybersecurity and data privacy matters, including delivering cybersecurity training as part of a recent staff awareness programme
- Advised Jardine Matheson on the transfer to Zhongsheng of trademarks relating to Zung Fu’s Mercedes-Benz auto dealership business in China
Admissions