Ethan Yao
ESG and Sustainable Development, Domestic Capital Market, Securities Compliance and Investigation
Mr. Ethan Yao focuses his practice on listed company governance, risk prevention, and value realization.
Prior to joining Chong Li, Mr. Yao practiced for many years at Zhong Lun Law Firm and later served as Deputy General Manager at a leading domestic securities compliance consulting firm, where he led and participated in numerous high-standard securities compliance projects.
Mr. Yao has extensive experience in the field of corporate governance and compliance for listed companies. He has provided a wide range of services, including information disclosure compliance advisory, corporate governance structure optimization, and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) compliance consulting. He has successfully assisted several state-owned and large private listed companies in establishing efficient information transmission mechanisms and securities compliance internal control systems, thereby enhancing transparency and regulatory compliance in corporate operations.
His client portfolio includes many well-known companies such as ZT New Materials (300986), Xiangyuan New Materials (300980), Lanzhou Bank (001227), Kangguan Technology (001308), Pubon Co., Ltd. (002663), Megachips Display (603062), Zhejiang Hengwei (301222), LBX Pharmacy (603883), Lion Microelectronics (605358), Xianhe Co., Ltd. (603733), Boxin Co., Ltd. (600083), Fantu Digital (301313), and Anviz Technology (301330).
In the area of securities compliance investigations, Mr. Yao has led multiple high-profile and complex cases. He has helped clients effectively respond to regulatory challenges and safeguard their legal interests. Notably, he assisted a listed company in the electronics sector on the ChiNext board and another in the smelting industry on the Shenzhen Main Board in avoiding administrative penalties in formal investigations. He has also successfully handled administrative penalty cases involving accounting firms, insider trading investigations involving amounts up to RMB 450 million, and nearly ten other information disclosure investigations involving listed companies.
In capital markets transactions, Mr. Yao has demonstrated exceptional expertise, participating in a wide array of core capital market matters including IPOs, M&A and restructurings, refinancing, bond issuances, equity incentive plans for listed companies, and corporate restructuring. He has played a leading or key role in numerous landmark projects, including Guangzhou Metro’s perpetual bond offering, Guangzhou Radio’s corporate bonds, Guangdong Energy Group’s corporate bonds, IPOs of Zhongrong Co., Winner Medical, and HULUWA, as well as Zhongzhou Holdings’ major asset restructuring.
