He assumed the role on 1 April 2023, taking over from partner Kyri Evagora who has been in the role since 1 July 2020.
Samant joined Reed Smith as partner in 2014 and held the position of global chair of the firm’s Energy and Natural Resources Group from 2017-2023.
With over 22 years’ experience, his practice is focused on representing a wide range of banks, exchanges, hedge funds and energy and commodity companies in a variety of transactional, cross-border regulatory, compliance and risk management matters within the energy and commodities sector.
Born in India, Samant is very familiar with the region, having spent considerable time visiting his clients based across Asia over the last two decades.
Evagora has relocated to the firm’s London office and will now focus on advising his clients in the energy and natural resources sector on their international commercial dispute resolution matters. During his tenure as Asia-Pacific managing partner, Evagora significantly expanded Reed Smith’s offering in the region. Through several strategic partner level hires he enhanced the firm’s practices in corporate, entertainment and media, international arbitration, litigation, tech and data and transportation in Asia. In the last 24 months alone, Evagora led the hire of 10 partners for the Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong offices.
Reed Smith now has 140 lawyers, including nearly 50 partners, across its four offices in Asia: Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Casey Ryan, Reed Smith’s global managing partner, said: “Kyri has been an exceptional leader for the firm in Asia. He was at the helm throughout the pandemic and during this time his strong leadership and sharp strategy helped to grow the firm in order to better support our clients.”
“In Praj we have a natural successor. We already know he has tremendous leadership qualities and will build on the strong foundations in place. He will continue to put clients at the heart of our Asia strategy and I am delighted to have him leading the firm across the region.”
Samant commented: “Asia is and continues to be hugely important for the firm as it offers significant potential to both us and our clients. It is a region that matters to me, both personally and professionally. My initial focus will be working with the partners in Asia to deepen client-relationships and enhance connectivity across the region, and also across the firm’s wider global footprint. My priority is ensuring that clients continue to receive the highest quality service that we are known for worldwide and that they can benefit from the full array of talent we have in the region.”
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a dynamic international law firm dedicated to helping clients move their businesses forward. With an inclusive culture and innovative mindset, we deliver smarter, more creative legal services that drive better outcomes for our clients. Our deep industry knowledge, long-standing relationships and collaborative structure make us the go-to partner for complex disputes, transactions, and regulatory matters. Now celebrating more than 140 years of service, our firm spans 31 offices with 3,000 people, including 1,700 lawyers.
For more information, please visit reedsmith.com.
