Guannan is a counsel of Haiwen & Partners. She has extensive experience in advising Chinese enterprises, multinational corporations, private equity firms and other strategic and financial investors in cross-border mergers and acquisitions and private equity transactions.

Guannan joined Haiwen in March 2024. Before joining Haiwen, she worked in one of the “Magic Circle” firms Linklaters LLP from 2013 to 2023 and was a managing associate of Linklaters Corporate M&A practice. 

In the area of M&A transactions, Guannan has extensively represented various Chinese SOEs, sovereign investment funds, private enterprises and other investment institutions in their outbound investments and auction buyouts in many different countries and regions. Guannan also advised numerous international institutions and multinational corporations in their strategic investments, joint ventures, disposals, exits and reorganisations in China. Guannan’s recent experience includes acting for: a number of Chinese sovereign investment funds on their equity investments in various countries and regions including South America, Africa and the Mid-East; China Merchants Port on its acquisition by way of auction of 90% shares in TCP, the second largest container terminal in Brazil, from Advent International and certain founding shareholders, and its proposed auction bid for a controlling stake in a bulk terminal in Brazil; China Harbour on its acquisition of a controlling stake in Nigerian Lekki Port and its minority investment and joint venture arrangement with CMA CGM with respect to the sub-concessionaire of Lekki Port, as well as its proposed acquisition of an Indonesian listed port group; China Yangtze Power on its auction bid for a power transmission and distribution company in Peru; TikTok on the structuring of its strategic development of e-commerce business in Indonesia, including related structural and regulatory issues relating to its US$1.5 billion acquisition of controlling stake in Tokopedia; Compass Group on its auction sale of entire catering service business in China (including the potential pre-sale restructuring) to Sodexo Group; Unilever on its intra-group reorganization of its global (including China) tea business for sale by auction to CVC Capital Partners; ANZ Banking Group on its disposal of retail banking and wealth management businesses in Asia (including China) to DBS.

In the area of private equity transactions, Guannan has represented various private equity firms and financial sponsors in their growth or venture capital investments, buyout and exit transactions in China and abroad. Guannan serves clients including Sofina, Fidelity, CITIC Securities, ByteDance and DiDi Chuxing. Guannan also had secondment with Hillhouse in 2022, primarily working on cross-border buyout and auction deals, exit transactions and growth or venture capital investments in the US of other regions.

Guannan received her bachelor's degrees in Law and Journalism respectively from China University of Political Science and Law in 2012, her LL.M. degree in International Business Law from University of Montreal in 2013, and her LL.M. degree from Columbia University in 2020.

Guannan’s native language is Mandarin, and she speaks English fluently.