Karen Wong

Karen is the APAC Legal Director of Merlin Entertainments Group, a global leader in branded entertainment destinations creating memorable and immersive brand experiences for over 60 million guests every year. Merlin has over 120 Gateway Attractions and theme parks in more than 20 countries, including LEGOLAND, London Eye, Shrek’s Adventures, Sea Life, Madame Tussauds and Peppa Pig World of Play.

Before joining Merlin, Karen has a decade of experience in fintech and artificial intelligence. She was the Lead Counsel for Ant International for 4 years, enhancing digital transformation via Alipay+ and e-wallet businesses. Prior to that, she was the APAC senior regional counsel of a fintech start-up in South-East Asia focussing on peer-to-peer lending and Buy-Now-Pay-Later businesses.  Karen started her legal career in Paul Hastings as an associate specialising in cross-border M&A transactions, takeovers and equity/debt financing, and received her training in Mayer Brown. 

Karen is a member of the Standing Committee on External Affairs, Innotech Committee and In-House Lawyers’ Committee under the Law Society of Hong Kong and had served as a committee member of the Young Solicitors’ Committee. She was the Fintech panel speaker in the 57th annual congress of the International Young Lawyers’ Association in 2019.

Karen read Business and Law at the University of Hong Kong, followed by MSc in Law and Finance in the University of Oxford. She is dual-qualified in Hong Kong and England & Wales.