Carol Mao
Managing Associate
Carol is a senior corporate lawyer with extensive experience in cross-border transactions.
Managing Associate
Carol is a senior corporate lawyer with extensive experience in cross-border transactions.
Languages - English, Chinese
Jurisdictions - Australia, Hong Kong
Carol’s practice spans various sectors, including oil & gas, mining, healthcare, fintech, real estate, agriculture, telecommunication, media, financial services, retail and manufacturing. Carol's experience includes leading high-profile projects such as ConocoPhillips’s farmout of interests to PetroChina, CPC Corporation’s acquisition from Shell of an interest in the world first floating LNG Project at the Prelude and Concerto gas fields, Starbucks' strategic cooperation with Alibaba Group, Imperial Brands' joint venture with China National Tobacco Corporation and Baosteel’s joint venture with Fortescue Metals Group. She has also advised on numerous significant investments, acquisitions and divestments in the APAC region and globally.
Before joining Stephenson Harwood, Carol has over ten years of experience in other top-tier international law firms, with proven track record in deal structuring and managing complex transactions, while tackling legal and regulatory issues faced by international businesses. Having also worked as an in-house legal counsel for a major healthcare multinational corporation and a fintech unicorn, she intimately understands clients' perspectives and prioritizes finding practical solutions that achieve commercial objectives.
Carol is dual qualified in Australia and Hong Kong, and a native speaker in both English and Chinese, and regularly prepares and reviews documents, as well as negotiates and presents in both languages.
Baosteel Group - Mining and Resources
Baosteel Group with respect to corporate and project restructure of its joint venture with Fortescue Metals Group, including the consolidation of the Northstar and Glacier Valley assets into a Hong Kong-based company 88% held by FMG and 12% held by Baosteel. The Northstar (previously 100% FMG) and Glacier Valley (previously 65% FMG, 35% Baosteel) magnetite deposits have iron resources of more than 3.2 billion tonnes
CGNPC Uranium Resources Company (CGNPC-URC) - Mining and Resources
CGNPC Uranium Resources Company (CGNPC-URC) and China Africa Development Fund on the AUD2.18bn downstream takeover offer for Extract Resources Limited (ASX: EXT), and the Australian aspects of a recommended upstream cash offer for Klahari Minerals plc in the UK valued at GBP632m (approx. AUD967m)
Yankuang Group - Mining and Resources
Yankuang Group in respect of its $298 million acquisition of the Premier Coal business from Wesfarmers
ConocoPhillips - Oil and Gas
ConocoPhillips in respect of the sale and farmout of its interests in Browse Basin and Canning Basin of Western Australia to PetroChina, and the restructure of the relevant joint venture projects. This deal involved three interdependent transactions covering respectively: properties offshore Western Australia in the Browse Basin; permits onshore Western Australia in the Canning Basin and properties onshore China in the Sichuan Basin. The transactions were subject to various government agency approvals
CPC Corporation - Oil and Gas
CPC Corporation in the transaction implementation, regulatory advices and legal due diligence of its acquisition of an interest in the world first floating LNG Project at the Prelude and Concerto gas field from Royal Dutch Shell
Fresenius Medical Care - Healthcare
Fresenius Medical Care on the divestments of a network of hospitals, clinics and healthcare businesses in China.
Cura Day Hospital Group - Healthcare
Cura Day Hospital Group on asset/business acquisition of Barton Private Hospital, Sir John Monash Private Hospital, and Somerset Private Hospital
Major Middle Eastern Sovereign Wealth Fund - Property Development
A major middle eastern sovereign wealth fund in respect of its investment and joint venture with the Shun Tak Group in respect of a significant commercial and residential development in Macau comprising commercial and residential properties
Imperial Brands - Manufacturing and Retail
Imperial Brands on the formation of an equity joint venture in Hong Kong with China National Tobacco Corporation for the production, distribution and sale of Imperial’s West and Davidoff brands in China and CNTC’s tobacco brands in Europe
Starbucks Corporation and the Alibaba Group - Technology and Online Business
The strategic cooperation between Starbucks Corporation and the Alibaba Group aimed at enhancing Starbucks’ digital experience and building Starbucks’ online presence, delivery capabilities and customer base and network in China, while utilizing various online platforms operated by and services offered by the Alibaba Group (including Tmall, Taobao, Alipay, Koubei, Hema supermarkets and Ele.me). The project enabled Starbucks to, amongst other things, (1) launch its first virtual store on multiple platforms across the two companies’ ecosystems for members to register, order, purchase, redeem benefits, share points and enjoy social gifting and other services; (2) leverage Ele.me’s online platform to pilot delivery services; (3) partner with Hema supermarkets to create stores and delivery kitchens; and (4) introduced a mobile order and pay feature on Taobao, Amap, Koubei, Alipay and Starbucks apps
