Richard was the Director of the North American Region for Dezan Shira & Associates, a specialist global expansion & international trade & investment consultancy based in Asia. Based in Boston, Richard guided North American individuals and companies through the process of establishing, maintaining and expanding their businesses in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and the rest of APAC region particularly India & Vietnam.Prior to his relocation to the USA, Richard was the Regional Director of the Yangtze River Delta Region for Dezan Shira & Associates based in Shanghai for a number of years. Richard has lived & worked in China for over 10 years. His areas of practice include: Assisting US and other multinational corporations with global expansion strategies; Corporate accounting services including accounting, audit and taxation compliance; China & Asian tax planning, analysis & structuring; International trade and investment including trade agreement & free trade zones; Legal advisory services including establishing businesses in Asia, China and other APAC regions, establishing Joint Ventures and M&A transactions; Financial, legal and operational due diligence on Chinese companies and businesses; merger and acquisition transactions in China; and International taxation planning and structuring.In addition, Richard frequently presents papers and conducts seminars presents to professional, trade, government and other international organizations on setting up and doing business in China and Asia generally.. Prior to Dezan Shira & Associates, Richard, an Australian lawyer and Certified Public Accountant, worked in business and commercial consulting both in Australia and China for the past twenty years. He was also previously a partner at Ernst & Young Australia. Richard holds an LLB from the University of Adelaide and a Master of Laws from the University of Sydney.

DSA is a specialist foreign direct investment firm providing business advisory, legal, tax, accounting and audit, and payroll services to companies investing in Asia and China in particular.DSA currently has 12 offices in China, 5 in India, 2 in Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore and Nth. Carolina, USA .During Richard’s time at Dezan Shira & Associates in Shanghai, he oversaw the operation, management and development of Yangtze River Delta practices including Shanghai, Suzhou, Ningbo and Hangzhou offices. Richard’s accomplishments include advising and assisting high profile U.S. and foreign multinationals establish, maintain and expand their operations in Asia; expanding the Dezan Shira & Associates business partnership base to a wide range of professional industries and locations throughout Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. Richard also regularly presented at various conferences and seminars all over the world. Conferences, seminars and presentations examples:February 26, 2014 | Shanghai, China Shanghai's Free Trade Zone: What It Means for Your BusinessShanghai Business ReviewMarch 13, 2014| Shanghai, ChinaChina's Free Trade Zones: China's Free Trade ZonesBreakbulk China September 25, 2014| Shanghai, ChinaEUCC China Investment Conference 2014: China Business in a NutshellEuropean Union Chamber of CommerceOctober 7-8, 2014| New York, North America DISCOVER GLOBAL MARKETS: Greater China Business ForumU.S. Department of Commerce November 21, 2013 | Sydney, AustraliaChina Digital Conference: China Online Australian Business Forum

As the Taxation Partner and Director of State Taxation at Ernst & Young, Richard managed specialist taxation groups and provided specialist taxation advice to international and domestic clients. Richard’s areas of expertise include international tax structuring, mergers & acquisitions, Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), corporate reconstructions, financing, property acquisitions and development. Richard developed Ernst & Young Australia’s specialist taxation group from a two-person team to a national team of over twenty people. He assisted and advised many high profile clients on various global projects, as well as serving on the Ernst & Young internal board to assess and select partners for the company.