Ingrid Wenying Zhu-Clark is the Managing Partner of the Eversheds Beijing office. She is admitted to practice law in both the US and China and has extensive experience in representing Chinese companies in their international investments. She practises in energy projects, especially in the area of oil and gas, and has extensive experience in advising major oil companies in various multijurisdictional acquisition transactions, farm-ins/outs, PSAs, JOAs, multi-country pipeline projects, refineries projects and downstream cross-border gas sales, in regions including Africa, South America, North America, Central Asia and Asia, and in many countries including Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Peru, Chad, Niger and Nigeria.

Ingrid was the leading counsel in representing CNPC International in its landmark $4.18 billion acquisition of PetroKazakhstan in 2005, at that time the largest international acquisition by a Chinese company. She was the leading lawyer in many other major outbound oil and gas transactions globally, both public and private, by Chinese state-owned oil companies, including CNOOC's $2.3 billion acquisition of offshore interest in Nigeria in 2006.

Ingrid is recognised as the first international lawyer leading her team to focus on representing Chinese oil companies in their global investments as early as the beginning of their international strategies. She started to represent CNPC in 2002, CNOOC in 2003, Sinochem in 2003, Zhenhua Oil in 2003 and Sinopec in 2004, and has extensive experience in assisting these oil companies in their upstream, midstream and downstream business. Some of the high-profile transactions she represented have received well-known international recognition, such as “No. 1 Deal of the Year, 2006” by ALB China Law Awards for the PetroKazakstan deal. Her practice has laid down the foundation for her former firm’s oil and gas brand, which was globally recognised, and her practice has also led to numerous awards for her former firm: “IFLR Asia Awards in 2012”; “Law Firm of the Year, 2010” in the area of energy and natural resources, by Asian-Counsel magazine; “No. 1 Energy M&A Law Firm in Asia, 2005” by Mergermarket.

Other than the energy practice, Ms. Zhu-Clark also has extensive experience in insurance and other inbound practice. She has extensive experience advising high-profile multinationals, such as GSK, Novell, BAT, Bain Capital, Allianz, Liberty Mutual, Lloyd's, CNA, RioTinto in their investment efforts in China.

She has represented numerous international insurance companies in their life and non-life Joint Ventures, acquisitions of interest into existing Chinese insurance companies, regulatory matters, litigation, transaction structure strategies, policy review (e.g., credit insurance policy review), etc. in China. She was also involved in advising the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) on drafting certain insurance regulations.

Ingrid was on the final list for the Euromoney award of Asia Woman in Business Law Award in 2011 and she has been listed in Expert Guide to the World’s Leading Energy and Natural Resource Lawyers for numerous years. Ingrid is also listed in the Guide to World's Leading Women in Business Law in 2011, 2015 and 2016; and in the 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2015 and 2016 edition of Who's Who Legal: Energy; as well as Who’s Who in American Law.

She used to be chairwoman of the financial subcommittee and co-chair of the financial and legal service committee of the British Chamber of Commerce in China. She is a member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN).

Representative Transaction List

Energy

• Advised CNPC International in its landmark $4.18 billion acquisition of PetroKazakhstan Inc., then the largest international transaction by a Chinese company

• Advised CNOOC Limited on its $2.3 billion acquisition of 45-percent interest in Nigeria's Akpo offshore oil and gas field from South Atlantic Petroleum Limited

• Advised CNPC in its €484 million joint acquisition of PetroCanada with ONGC, the state-owned oil company of India

• Advised CNPC's transfer of 33-percent interest ($1.347 billion) in PetroKazakhstan Inc. to JSC Kazmunaigas, the state-owned oil company of Kazakhstan

• Advised CNPC International in its $3.3 billion joint acquisition of MMG with KMG

• Advised CNPCI in connection with the arbitration related to certain ownership interests in a pipeline located in Sudan

• Advised a major Chinese state-owned oil company on its bidding on certain onshore concessions in Abu Dhabi with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company

• Advised a Chinese oilfield services company in connection with due diligence related to the proposed acquisition of certain assets in Kazakhstan

• Advised a Chinese oilfield services company in connection with the proposed registration of a company in Venezuela and the strategic planning of structuring required for establishing additional market presence in Venezuela

• Advised a major Chinese bank in its efforts to provide financing for a significant utilities expansion project in Zimbabwe

• Advised CNPC's subsidiary on its acquisition of shares in Rosneft

• Advised Sinochem in its acquisition of oil and gas interest in Ecuador

• Advised CNPC's transfer of a 67-percent interest of PetroKazakhstan ($2.735 billion) to a joint venture between CNODC and PetroChina

• Advised China Zhenhua Oil on its acquisition of an international oil and gas company

• Played a lead role in PetroChina's acquisition of an independent producer

• Advised Sinopec International in its acquisition of a corporation with oil and gas interests in Central Asia

• Advised CNPCIC in connection with an environment dispute between Chad Permit H Concession Contractor and the government of the Republic of Chad

• Advised a major Chinese oil company in connection with the establishment of a JV regarding a refinery in Chad

• Advised a Chinese oil company in connection with a potential acquisition of assets located in Nigeria, Gabon, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, the Ivory Coast and other West African countries

• Advised a Chinese oil company in connection with its pipeline project in Central Asia

• Advised a Chinese oil company in connection with its proposed China-Russia Pipeline project

• Advised a Chinese oil company in connection with its possible purchase of a company with assets in Russia

• Advised a Chinese oil company in connection with its possible merger with/acquisition of a Canadian oil company with assets in Africa

• Advised a Chinese oil company in connection with its proposed acquisition of equity interests of a French oil and gas company

• Advised a Chinese oil company in connection with the consequences of the enforcement of an arbitration decision regarding a JV

• Advised a Chinese oil company in connection with its proposed sale of shares

• Advised a Chinese oil company on its acquisition of interests in two oil fields in Africa

• Advised a Chinese oil company on its acquisition of a subsidiary of a US oil and gas company with assets in Africa

• Advised a Chinese oil company on its project in Congo

• Advised a Chinese oil company in connection with a possible purchase of equity interests from a Kazakhstan oil company

• Advised a Chinese oil company's subsidiary in connection with import and export disputes

• Advised a Chinese oil company in connection with a contract disputes with an African company

• Advised a Chinese oil company in connection with its financing

• Advised a Chinese oil company on establishing a JV in Saudi Arabia with a Saudi Arabia company

• Advised a Chinese oil company on its acquisition in Azerbaijan

• Advised a Chinese oil company in connection with the arbitration proceedings in the International Chamber of Commerce

• Advised a Chinese bank in connection with negotiation of a Risk Participation Agreement with an international bank

• Advised a Chinese oil company on its proposed gas pipeline transportation arrangements

• Advised a Chinese oil company in connection with its proposed form of gas sale agreement

• Advised a Chinese oil company on its contemplated acquisition of 100% interest of a US company

• Advised in drafting of a petroleum law for an African country and in an acquisition of holdings of an African state-owned oil company

• Advised a major oil company in negotiating a joint operating agreement

• Advised acquisition by a major Chinese state-owned oil company of a 50-percent interest in a Kazakhstan oil company

• Advised a Chinese oil company in its farm-in project in Africa

• Advised a major Chinese company in its acquisition of oil and gas assets in South America

• Advised a major Chinese state-owned oil company in its acquisition of a UK corporation to purchase certain African oil-producing assets from a Canadian energy company

• Advised a major Chinese state-owned oil company in its acquisition of a participating interest in Niger

• Advised a major Chinese state-owned oil company in its acquisition of 100 percent of the shares of a Kazakhstan joint stock company

• Advised a major Chinese state-owned oil company in establishing a risk management system

• Advised in a joint venture and service contract dispute between a Chinese state-owned oil company and a Saudi national

• Advised a Chinese state-owned oil company in service agreement negotiations

• Advised a major Chinese state-owned oil company in the location and exploitation of gas fields in a country, the construction of a transnational pipeline for the purpose of the transportation of the exploited gas and sale of the exploited gas in the target markets

• Advised a major Chinese state-owned oil company in its acquisition of some participating interests in Congo

Insurance

• Advised CIRC on drafting some insurance legalities and other legal matters

• Advised Lloyd's in regulatory matters

• Advised ACE in its acquisition of minority interest in Hua Tai

• Advised CNA Global in a personal injury litigation

• Advised MetLife as China local counsel in its $11.8 billion acquisition of the Travelers Insurance Co. under the Citigroup, Inc.

• Advised Allianz in its credit insurance products in China

• Advised a subsidiary of Allianz in its road assistance program

• Advised a European reinsurance company in its standard reinsurance treaty and product review

• Advised a French reinsurance company on PRC regulatory issues

• Advised a European reinsurance company in its proposed joint development of some products with a Chinese P/C insurance company

• Advised an Asian life insurance company in its proposed project of setting up a life joint venture with a Chinese company

• Advised an international insurance company in its strategy of acquiring a minority interest in a Shanghai insurance company

• Advised a Canadian P/C company in its market-entry strategy and regulatory issues

• Advised a US insurance company in its strategy of setting up a life joint venture with a Shanghai insurance company

• Advising an insurance company on its insurance coverage in connection with a pipeline project

Speaking Engagements

• Speaker, “Doing Business with China – Topical and Practical Insights”, In-House Congress Hong Kong Workshop, October 8, 2014

• Speaker, China National Petroleum Corporation regarding Legal Consequences of the Macondo Blowout and Oil Spill, October 27, 2010

• Speaker, Financial and Legal Forum, British Chamber of Commerce in China, April 16, 2010

• Speaker, Association of Insolvency & Restructuring Advisors ("AIRA"), Sept 16-18, 2008;

• Speaker, Conference on World Heavy Oil, Nov 16, 2006;

• Speaker, Conference on Contract Risk Management in Upstream Oil & Gas, Dec 5-6, 2006;

• Speaker, Contract Risk Management in China's Oil & Gas Industry, Nov. 29-30, 2005;

• Speaker, 2005 International Symposium on Corporate Governance for Insurance Companies, June 23-24, 2005

• Speaker, Conference on Contract Risk Management, May 10, 2002

Managing Partner Beijing