23 Feb 2026
Gianni & Origoni appoints two Foreign Partners for Shanghai and Hong Kong
"Gianni & Origoni appoints Yujing Liu (M&A and private equity) to Shanghai and Sergio Scanu (cross-border M&A and international commercial contracts) to Hong Kong as Foreign Partners."
Yujing Liu joins the Shanghai team as a Foreign Partner. She specialises in mergers and acquisitions and private equity and has assisted large companies and multinationals on cross-border transactions. Her career was developed in US and Chinese law firms. She joins Gianni & Origoni from Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.
Sergio Scanu joins the Hong Kong team as a Foreign Partner. He has consolidated experience advising Italian and Chinese clients on commercial and cross-border M&A transactions, with a particular focus on international commercial contracts. He developed his professional path at the Beijing and Hong Kong offices of Chiomenti and Pirola Pennuto Zei & Associati.
These hires form part of a coherent, long-term growth strategy that further cements Gianni & Origoni’s structured and rooted presence in China. The firm currently counts 11 people across Hong Kong and Shanghai, including eight professionals, reflecting a development model based on new investments and operational continuity.
Since the launch of the Cindia Desk in 2007, dedicated to China and India, Gianni & Origoni has continued to invest in the area. Recently, Ambassador Vincenzo De Luca joined the firm as of counsel to further develop activities in the Asian and Middle Eastern markets, and in March 2025 Eviana Leung strengthened the firm’s advisory offering in Hong Kong. The Shanghai team is based in the heart of the city’s institutional and commercial district, where the Italian Consulate General, the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China, SACE and ICE are also located, reinforcing Gianni & Origoni’s ties with the System Italy and local institutions.
Alessandro Zalonis, already the partner of reference for Southeast Asia and recently appointed head of the China Practice, said: “Our structured, continuous and deeply rooted presence in the country translates for clients into concrete and timely support. Italian companies find in Gianni & Origoni a stable and reliable partner to accompany their internationalisation in Asian markets, while Chinese investors can count on qualified assistance in developing their interests in Italy and in Europe.”