Bio

Gavin Anderson is based in the Hong Kong office and is a member of the firm’s Investment Funds and Investment Management Group. He has broad experience in advising sponsors and investors on a variety of issues, including fund formation, co-investment, fund restructurings and carried interest arrangements. Mr. Anderson’s recent experience includes acting for clients such as Baring Private Equity Asia, CDH Investments, Clearwater Capital, HarbourVest, Morgan Stanley, Navis Capital Partners, Southern Capital and Quilvest. The major legal directories recognise Mr. Anderson as one of the leading lawyers in the region. He is named as an Asia Future Leader 2021 by IFLR, recommended for Investment Funds in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2021) and also ranked in Chambers Asia-Pacific (2021) and Chambers Global (2021). Who’s Who Legal (2021) also names him as one of ten Thought Leaders for private funds in Hong Kong. The guides note that he is “simply superb in problem solving and a valuable asset in negotiations.” Clients also describe him as “a calm, level-headed partner with great commercial judgement” and “a client-oriented and legally incisive lawyer with vast experience and expertise.” He has also been described as “an exceptional private funds lawyer with an easy-going style who focuses on pragmatic solutions to issues.” He is said to be “super smart” with “a super fast brain” and is “well versed in advising managers on both growth capital and private equity fund formation.” One client is quoted as observing that “he’s technically extremely strong and very, very well organized — that's critical.” The guides have also noted that Mr. Anderson is “very responsive, very competent and fun to work with” and “very quick, very smart and gives very high-quality advice.” Market commentators have been quoted as saying “we have been very impressed with his technical and commercial balance.” In The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2021), Mr. Anderson is also recommended for his work in India, with the guide noting that he is “an excellent negotiator, draftsman and [is] always on top of any situation.” Mr. Anderson regularly writes and speaks on private equity topics. He is the author of the “Investor side letters” chapter in Global Investment Funds: A Practical Guide to Structuring, Raising and Managing Funds published by Global Law and Business (July, 2016). He is also a co-author of “Debevoise Discusses Private Equity Options in Face of Liquidity Crunch,” The CLS Blue Sky Blog (May, 2020) and “Asia Is at a Turning Point,” Private Equity International (September, 2018). Mr. Anderson earned his B.A. (Hons) from the University of Oxford (Brasenose College) in 2000 and PgDL from the College of Law at Guildford in 2001. He graduated from the Legal Practice Course at the Oxford Institute of Legal Practice in 2002. Prior to joining Debevoise in 2006, he trained and worked as an associate at an international law firm in London