Pinsent Masons' Connor honoured for Asia business support work

A Scottish solicitor based in Hong Kong has been acknowledged for his work over the last decade in supporting Scottish businesses looking to expand into Asia.

Vincent Connor, a partner and infrastructure specialist at Pinsent Masons, has been inducted into the GlobalScot Hall of Fame by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in recognition of his efforts.

GlobalScot is an international network of 650 entrepreneurial and business leaders dedicated to supporting ambitious Scottish companies. Working in partnership with Scottish Development International (SDI) and Scottish Enterprise, the network is active in more than 50 countries, helping companies prepare for market entry, in forging new relationships and with introductions to potential partners, customers and suppliers.

Originally from Glasgow, Mr Connors moved to Hong Kong in 2007 with his wife Gillian Johnston (also a lawyer) when an opportunity arose to take over as Pinsent Masons' head of office. The firm now has a 250-strong Asia team based in Singapore and throughout China and Australia. 

He is also a trustee of the Saltire Foundation, which supports high-flying Scottish graduates in securing international work experience opportunities, and chairs a council of Scottish business people in Hong Kong which works closely with Entrepreneurial Scotland to help build up a sustainable flow of Saltire Scholars to Asia.

Ms Sturgeon presented Mr Connors with a certificate welcoming him to the Hall of Fame when she visited Hong Kong as part of her China mission this month.

She commented: “It was a real honour to induct Vincent Connor into the GlobalScot Hall of Fame in recognition of the great work he has carried out over a number of years to promote Scotland internationally, particularly in Hong Kong. The GlobalScot network is one of Scotland’s greatest assets in promoting trade and investment opportunities and Vincent’s work for the network has been outstanding.”

Mr Connors responded: “I'm thrilled to be inducted into the GlobalScot Hall of Fame and it was particularly special to receive this honour from the First Minister, here in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is by its nature a welcoming place to businesses, there is excellent connectivity with the wider Asia region and there is a real openness to helping support new market entrants.

“When a Scottish business is seeking to get started in Hong Kong or to explore Asia, or China in particular, there is a number of considerations they will need to have in mind, and GlobalScot is there to help them navigate the challenges and to make the most of the opportunities offered.

He added: “Hong Kong is a hugely important trading hub, with powerful connections to many parts of Europe and Asia – and is also identified as a key hub for professional services and finance on China's Belt and Road Initiative. The strong Scottish-Hong Kong connection runs in parallel with the UK’s ties and there is a lot of collaboration between the SDI and UK DIT, which are well aligned in making the most of the opportunities available to Scottish and UK companies looking to do business here.”