Meet The Team
Our Staff
Ben Cooper
Managing Partner
He has been awarded Best Recruitment Consultant in Asia-Pacific by Global Recruiter and awarded Best Legal & Compliance Headhunter in Asia-Pacific by AsiaMoney.
He moved to Hong Kong in January, 2010, and has been highly successful in the legal recruitment market since then, placing lawyers and compliance professionals from mid to senior level. He founded Ashford Benjamin Ltd, with the firm belief that the legal market in Hong Kong deserved a better, new kind of search firm.
Ben is a regular contributor to legal journals and is actively involved with furthering the legal profession in Hong Kong; being regularly invited to sit on industry discussion panels and regularly attending Hong Kong Law Society functions.
Aside from legal recruitment, Ben sits on the fund-raising committee of Liberty Asia – an anti-slavery charity, and has advised students on legal careers at Hong Kong University’s Law School.
Ben can be reached at ben.cooper@ashford-benjamin.com or on +852 3511 6222.
Mohit Savalani
Partner
During his tenure, his team were awarded Best Legal Recruitment Team in Hong Kong by the Recruitment International Awards in 2015 and 2016. Additionally, at the Global Recruiter Awards in 2015, Mohit was commended as a finalist for Best Recruitment Consultant in the APAC region.
Mohit was born and raised in Hong Kong and attended The University of Manchester for his further education. He has grown to be one of Hong Kong’s leading legal recruiters due to his excellent delivery and service.
Mohit can be reached at msavalani@ashford-benjamin.com or on +852 3511 6221.
Michael Allen
Partner
Michael has a degree in Business, and experience working in both London and Hong Kong. He started his career in 2010 in London at a global recruitment firm across banking and alternative investments, before joining an international search firm in 2014 and moving to Hong Kong.
Michael can be reached at mallen@ashford-benjamin.com or on +852 3511 6223.
VIVIAN CHEN
director
Vivian is highly recommended by both clients and candidates as a valuable and trustworthy partner. She has placed over 100 risk and compliance professionals into roles within financial institutions in Hong Kong, and joined Ashford Benjamin to cement its position as Hong Kong’s premier corporate governance search firm.
Vivian can be reached at vchen@ashford-benjamin.com or on +852 3511 6077.
Sup Iyer
Associate Director
He has successfully headhunted and placed lawyers at all levels to top-tier international law firms, financial institutions and MNCs across the APAC Region. Prior to joining Ashford Benjamin, he was a consultant at a boutique legal search firm in Hong Kong, where he was part of the team that was awarded the Best Legal Recruitment Team in Hong Kong by the Recruitment International Awards in 2015 and 2016.
Sup grew up in Hong Kong and attended Ryerson University in Canada. Since returning to Hong Kong he has gained significant knowledge and understanding of the Asian legal market, allowing him to provide excellent service and consultation to both clients and candidates.
Sup can be reached at either sup.iyer@ashford-benjamin.com or on +852 3511 6078.
Louis feighan
Senior Consultant
He specialises in placing lawyers In-House and in Private Practice with a focus on Structured Products and Derivatives. Recent placements have also included Litigation, Debt Capital Markets and transactional M&A lawyers with top international law firms, global investment banks and fintech firms.
Louis has built up a strong network of candidates across the APAC region and regularly works with candidates overseas who are looking to return to Asia.
Louis can be reached at lfeighan@ashford-benjamin.com or on +852 3511 6079.
Timothy Xu
Consultant
Timothy focuses on completing search mandates for lawyers at all levels in Hong Kong and selected Asian jurisdictions. He prides himself on offering expert career advice, and working pro-actively on behalf of clients and candidates.
Prior to joining Ashford Benjamin, Timothy was a consultant at a global search firm, placing mid-senior professionals into a range of disciplines across Asia-Pacific.
Timothy can be reached at txu@ashford-benjamin.com or on +852 3511 6074
Adrian Li
Consultant
Before starting as a Legal Recruiter he held account management positions and has worked with an NGO to further animal conservation.
He works on Private Practice search mandates for lawyers across a range of PQE levels and a variety of law firms, both international and local. he listens and works hard to find a role that suits a candidate’s requirements.
Adrian can be reached at either ali@ashford-benjmain.com or on +852 3511 6224.
Celine He
Associate
Celine started her career in finance at a large global financial derivatives broker and has extensive hands-on experience with regulations, compliance and knowledge of the financial industry, prior to her transition into headhunting. She specialises in risk and compliance search, and provides a personalised and catered approach for all her candidates and clients.
Celine can be reached at che@ashford-benjamin.com or on +852 35116064.