Andrew MacGeoch

Andrew MacGeoch is a Partner and a registered foreign lawyer at Bird & Bird ATMD LLP, a Singapore law practice affiliated with Bird & Bird LLP. He is also co-head of the APAC Hotels, Hospitality & Leisure Group at Bird & Bird. His primary practice area is Real Estate Law.

He has over 30 years of experience as a corporate real estate lawyer advising developers, owners, institutional investors, governments, statutory corporations and regional and international hotel operators on a range of matters, from large-scale infrastructure developments to large or boutique hotel and branded residential projects, primarily in Asia.

He has extensive experience advising clients on the corporate aspects of infrastructure developments and mixed-use projects, from power generating plants to stadia, multi-purpose venues and exhibition centres, with a significant focus on hospitality projects and integrated resorts.

He is passionate about principled negotiations, problem solving and the drafting of the full range of corporate and commercial agreements required for such projects, including joint ventures, project concession and development agreements, facilities management, leases and related contracts. He is involved in projects throughout Asia and is well known for leading legal teams on matters located in Greater China and Southeast Asia.

He regularly advises on the drafting and negotiation of hotel management, franchise and related agreements, having been involved in transactions (acting primarily for owners but some operators) involving more than 50 hotel and lodging brands for hotels, serviced apartments and branded residences. In recent years, he has also helped clients resolve disputes and tensions between owners and operators of hospitality-related projects, leveraging industry knowledge and relationships to find win-win solutions.

He is a regular writer and thought leader on hotel topics and a frequent presenter and moderator at hotel and real estate investment conferences. He has co-chaired and now serves as co-vice chair of the APAC Hospitality Development and Investment Council of the Urban Land Institute. For many years, he has also chaired the M&A Deal of the Year Awards at the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) and sat on the HICAP advisory board.

He is an active member of the Urban Land Institute in Singapore and the British Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, and has been a long-standing member of the HK General Chamber's RE & Infrastructure Committee, an active member of the HK British Chamber Real Estate Committee, its Business Policy Unit, and a co-opted member on its GenCom.

He is a keen supporter of charities in Singapore and Hong Kong. For over 30 years, he has been a volunteer at the Home of Loving Faithfulness (HOLF), a Hong Kong SAR-based charity which provides free lifetime care for the disabled, and has been a HOLF trustee for over 20 years and chair and now co-chair of its Trustee Board.