6 | T T Karen Phelps Strengthening NZ-Hong Kong connections Claudia Shan is a finalist at the 2026 Hong Kong New Zealand Business Association Business Awards, acknowledging her contribution to strengthening business and professional connections between New Zealand and Hong Kong. Avancier Legal “For me the most important part of this work has always been the relationships and the trust that underpin successful cross-border advice.” REGIONAL Avancier Legal has been strengthening its position in the market since January this year, reflecting growing demand for advice around inbound investment, family relocation, trust structures, succession planning and international structuring. Founder, Claudia Shan, was also recognised as a finalist at the 2026 Hong Kong New Zealand Business Association Business Awards, acknowledging her contribution to strengthening business and professional connections between New Zealand and Hong Kong. “It is a real privilege to be recognised alongside businesses and individuals contributing to the relationship between New Zealand and Hong Kong,” says Claudia. “For me the most important part of this work has always been the relationships and the trust that underpin successful cross-border advice.” The Hong Kong New Zealand Business Association, which was founded in 1988, has played a longstanding role in fostering business links between the two markets. The Business Awards recognise business excellence and innovation across diverse sectors, with the aim of encouraging continuous improvement, collaboration and meaningful connections among business leaders. Claudia’s finalist recognition comes against a background of more than 15 years’ experience advising international families, trustees, financial institutions and private clients across multiple jurisdictions. While she is a practising New Zealand solicitor, she is also qualified as a solicitor of the Courts of England and Wales. Before founding Avancier, Claudia worked with leading global offshore law firms in the Channel Islands, Guernsey, one of the world’s foremost international finance centres. Her practice focused on trusts, private wealth, fiduciary structures, succession planning, estate administration, tax and commercial structuring, regulatory compliance and complex cross-border matters. She advised high-net-worth families, trustees, private banks and global financial institutions on the establishment, administration, restructuring and succession of asset-holding structures, including trusts, companies, partnerships and pension arrangements.= Her experience includes advising on both contentious and non-contentious trust matters, and working closely with fiduciary businesses serving internationally mobile families and privately held enterprises. “Hong Kong has been an important part of my professional life for many years,” says Claudia. “Working across different jurisdictions has taught me how important it is to understand not just the law, but the commercial, cultural and family considerations behind a client’s decisions.” Claudia founded Avancier with senior lawyer Ziyad Matti in June 2024, creating a boutique practice focused on complex private client and cross-border matters. The firm advises on international trusts, succession planning, tax residency, immigration and family office structures, working closely with professional advisers and families across multiple jurisdictions. “The boutique model allows us to have a much more direct relationship with clients and their advisers,” says Claudia. “That is particularly important when dealing with family wealth, succession and international matters.” Avancier takes a long-term approach to helping clients navigate legal, tax, financial and immigration considerations, coordinating trusted advisers where required. “We focus on practical, compliant solutions that support our clients’ long-term goals,” Claudia says. That philosophy is reflected in Avancier’s emphasis on accountability and follow-through, with the firm aiming to provide clients with confidence and peace of mind while they focus on their families, businesses and wider priorities. “Through the twists and turns of life, as our clients’ circumstances, wealth and needs evolve, we come alongside them to find the right legal solutions,” says Claudia. “We forge long-lasting connections with our clients through listening deeply and understanding precisely what is needed. We also adopt a holistic approach that encompasses their family, businesses, and all dimensions of personal and professional endeavours. “We are building a business that is deliberately international, but firmly based in New Zealand. Being recognised through these awards is meaningful because it reflects the kind of cross-border relationships and longterm work that we are committed to.” PROUD TO BE FEATURED St Pierre’s Sushi is proud to appear alongside Avancier Legal. Devoted to sushi since 1993. stpierres.co.nz st pierres sushi
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