The Hong Kong Stock Exchange has appointed a former Kirkland & Ellis partner to help oversee the vetting of initial public offerings after her predecessor was charged with taking bribes.

The exchange has named Stephanie Lau to be a managing director and co-head of the IPO vetting team. Starting May 1, Lau will co-lead IPO vetting with managing director Lin Shi and report to Bonnie Chan, the exchange's head of listing.

Lau is currently a senior vice president at the exchange in charge of regulation and compliance of listed companies. She joined the exchange in 2016 from Kirkland & Ellis, where she was a Hong Kong partner specializing in corporate finance deals, including IPOs.