Ashurst announces the expansion of its non-legal risk consulting and managed services offering, with a new Risk Advisory branch in Singapore and the growth of Ashurst Advance's service offering in Asia. Introducing the Ashurst Risk Advisory business into Asia reflects the firm's commitment to continue to invest in seamless delivery of legal, risk consulting and managed services, bringing enhanced legal operations, technology enablement and process optimisation capabilities to clients in the region.
The new Asia Risk Advisory branch will be led by John Knox and Rishi Ballakhan, based in Singapore, strengthening Ashurst's ability to support clients with practical, multidisciplinary risk consulting solutions that complement the firm's legal services. These additions reflect Ashurst's commitment to helping clients navigate complex regulatory environments, transformation initiatives, operational resilience and governance demands across Asia.
John has over 25 years of legal industry consulting and managed services experience and has helped some of the largest companies in the world with legal department transformation initiatives. This has included advice on talent strategies, process and workflow improvement, contracting, compliance, technology and managed services. Rishi also provides strategic consulting advice to legal departments with a focus on legal transformation and managed services.
Ashurst Risk Advisory was established in 2020 and has become one of the fastest growing parts of the business globally, with a presence in Australia, the UK, the Middle East and now in Asia.
Jamie Ng, Global Clients & Markets Partner and the Global Leader of Ashurst Risk Advisory, commented: "Extending our Risk Advisory capabilities into Asia is an important step in our global strategy. Clients value practical, coordinated advice that brings legal and non-legal perspectives together. Our team in Asia will work side by side with our lawyers, risk consultants and NewLaw professionals to help clients assess, manage and respond to transformation and risk with clarity and confidence."
Hilary Goodier, Global Head of Ashurst Advance, said: "We are excited to welcome John, Rishi and team. Their combined experience and knowledge lie at the intersection of Ashurst Advance and Risk Advisory, which will allow us to offer our clients a greater depth of expertise and expand our current capabilities. Our Asia Ashurst Advance offering already supports in-house teams and Ashurst lawyers to deliver efficient, data-driven solutions and managed services that align with clients' priorities, and we are excited to further deepen our widely recognised collaborative client solutions in legal department transformation."
Jini Lee, Asia Regional Head, added: "Expanding our offerings in Asia reflects the firm's long-term ambition and commitment to the region. By launching Risk Advisory in Singapore and expanding our existing Ashurst Advance offering in Asia, we are deepening our support for clients facing evolving regulatory, operational and cross-border challenges. These developments strengthen our ability to deliver integrated solutions across key Asian markets."
The launch in Asia builds on Ashurst's broader global expansion of integrated legal, risk consulting and NewLaw services. The firm's combined model is designed to provide clients with coordinated support across cyber preparedness and risk management, governance, risk and compliance; regulatory change; disputes and investigations; and transformation initiatives (including technology and AI) that enhance efficiency and resilience.
Ashurst's Asia Risk Advisory team will work side by side with the firm's lawyers across practice areas and jurisdictions, leveraging sector experience and regional insights to deliver practical, implementation-focused advice; Ashurst Advance offers managed services, digital and AI-enabled delivery, process and data solutions, and resourcing models that support clients' day-to-day operations and strategic initiatives in the region.
