Women in Dealmaking Fireside Chat – Breaking Barriers, Building Futures

Ms Sandy Foo is the Head of the Corporate & Transactional Group and the Mergers & Acquisitions Practice at Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP, and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. With over 25 years of legal experience in Singapore and London, spanning corporate and finance law, litigation, and in-house counsel roles, Sandy is widely recognised as one of the region’s top corporate lawyers. She is consistently ranked in key legal directories, including Chambers Asia-Pacific, The Legal 500 (Hall of Fame), IFLR1000 Women Leaders, and Who’s Who Legal, and has been named as Woman Lawyer of the Year 2023  and one of Asia’s Top 15 M&A lawyers by Asian Legal Business, Corporate & M&A Lawyer of the Year 2023 (Southeast Asia) by The Legal 500.

Sandy has advised on some of Singapore’s most significant and complex transactions, including OCBC’s acquisition of ING Private Bank Asia (now Bank of Singapore), Temasek’s S$8.7 billion merger between Sembcorp Marine and Keppel Offshore & Marine, the privatisation offer of SMRT, and EQT’s US$1.1 billion acquisition of Property Guru.

A strong advocate for diversity and inclusion, Sandy actively mentors women in the marketplace and champions authentic representation, emphasising diversity of thought over tokenism. She is a regular speaker on corporate governance and leadership, a member of the International Bar Association, and serves on the Council of Dover Park Hospice. Notably from Sandy, “Just as there was an “old boys’ club”, there is sometimes a place for an “old girls club”, where we can help empower other women in the corporate marketplace.” She is a firm believer of having a support network for women to empower each other in the professional sphere and leads by example in paying it forward,  “Just as my seniors coached me, I can coach others.”

She does not shy away from difficult topics and joins this panel to share her own journey and leadership philosophy where she reflects on staying resilient, mentoring, fighting imposter syndrome, finding new purpose in changing tides and leading complex transactions with composure.

Ee-Ching Tay is a trusted advisor with over 25 years of experience in banking in the US and Asia. As the Head of M&A, Asia Pacific and Head of Investment Banking, Southeast Asia at Barclays, she is responsible for expanding the firm’s banking business in the region and leading the senior client relationships across sectors.

Prior to joining Barclays in 2021, she was Head of Southeast Asia M&A at JP Morgan in Singapore for 10 years. Before that, she spent a decade in the US principally at UBS in New York.

Ee-Ching has an extensive track record in M&A and capital raising transactions worth over US$100bn across sectors including consumer & retail, financial services, technology & telecom, energy & power, and healthcare. She has advised large publicly-listed companies, privately-owned businesses and start-ups.

Key selected transactions include sale of minority stake in Bersama Digital Infrastructure to Macquarie-led consortium (US$610mm), Indosat Ooredoo’s US$6bn merger with Hutchison 3 Indonesia, CP Group’s US$10.6bn acquisition of Tesco Thailand and Malaysia, Capitaland Mall Trust’s S$8.2bn merger with CapitaLand Commercial Trust, TMB Bank PCL’s $4.2bn merger with Thanachart Bank, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ’s $5.8bn acquisiton of PT Bank Danamon and Sale of Equis Energy to GIP for $5bn.

Ee-Ching holds an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and an MA from Oxford University. She is a mother of 2 children and has a strong interest in women’s issues and other conversations about change through the various organisations of which she is a part.

Gladys Chun is living proof that work-life integration is less about balance and more about creative survival. Gladys is the General Counsel of a leading tech company — which means she spends her days navigating complex legal frameworks, and her nights navigating bedtime negotiations.

Gladys brings authenticity, wit, and wisdom to the way she leads — showing us that integrating work and life isn’t about perfection, it’s about being present, prioritizing what matters, and occasionally just laughing through the chaos.

Hattie Marsden is the Founder of TruWater Advisory, a boutique M&A advisory firm specializing in technology and marketing services businesses across Asia Pacific. She brings over a decade of dealmaking experience spanning top-tier consultancy at Boston Consulting Group, boutique investment banks, and strategic sell-side advisory. Hattie is passionate about helping entrepreneurs achieve successful exits, blending sharp commercial insight with hands-on transaction support. Outside of work, she’s a proud mum to two young boys and an advocate for building careers that balance ambition with family life.