Career profile

Year 2024 continues Aaron Shao’s over nine years’ success in Abbott as the regional legal head in the Greater China Region. Also, it is his 14th anniversary as a regional GC with large multinational companies after his early years of practicing in two leading US-based international law firms.

In his current role in Abbott, Shao leads the legal department and team to support across all 12 business divisions and corporate functions in Greater China. In his prior in-house role, Shao led all legal and compliance matters as well as a regional legal team covering over 13 countries and areas in APAC. His early years’ private practice focused on cross-border mergers and acquisitions and private equity and venture capital transactions, foreign direct investment and general corporate matters. Shao has extensive knowledge and experience in transactions, structuring and restructuring, business strategies, compliance and risk management as well as dispute resolution, particularly in healthcare and the manufacturingand industrial sectors.

Shao attaches a high level of attention to building a highly capable regional in-house legal team and unswervingly focuses on developing the same. He also leads his team to promote pro bono activities and devotes a lot of his personal time in social contributions. For consecutive years, Aaron and his team have received a high level of recognition in the local industry.

Shao received a Bachelor of Law degree from the Law School of Shanghai International Studies University, a Master of Laws degree from the Law School of Columbia University, where he was a winner of the Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar award, as well as an MBA degree from the Olin Business School of Washington University in St. Louis and completed his EMBA program with Fudan University in China. Shao is qualified to practice law in both PRC and New York. He is also a Certified Fraud Examiner.