EN
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our dear friend and former senior partner, Fred Kinmonth on 20 November in Edinburgh, Scotland, at the age of 76 after a courageous battle with motor neurone disease.
Fred studied law at Birmingham University and began his career as a solicitor at Herbert Smith in London in the early 1970s. Fred relocated to Herbert Smith’s Hong Kong office in 1983.
As a highly able and experienced corporate lawyer and negotiator, Fred was involved in many of the most significant commercial deals in London, Hong Kong and China over the last 50 years.
Fred was a trusted adviser to many of Hong Kong’s leading families involved in financial services, hospitality, property, and shipping.
Fred moved back to Herbert Smith’s London office in 1989 but returned to Hong Kong in 1994 as managing director of Peregrine Capital Limited, part of the Peregrine Group.
In 1998 Fred joined the Hong Kong office of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and was instrumental in obtaining a Macau casino concession for a major Las Vegas gaming organization. He also advised the Hong Kong Government on the development of Hong Kong Disneyland.
In 2000 Fred moved to the Hong Kong office of MinterEllison, where he was managing partner for many years, becoming a consultant in 2025.
Fred was a large presence in the Hong Kong corporate landscape, a brilliant lateral and strategic thinker, with great client rapport. He was generous, a great raconteur, and a friend to all.
Outside the office Fred was a well-known and successful yachtsman. He was a prominent member of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club for many years and raced both an Etchells and offshore boats.
Most summers would find Fred in Scotland salmon fishing, or in Baltimore, Ireland, where he enjoyed rebuilding and sailing “Saoirse”, a magnificent 1922 ketch.
Fred worked until early this year then returned to Edinburgh to be with his family until his passing.
We offer our heartfelt condolences to Fred’s wife, Zulfiyya, his five children, Laura, Helen, Harry, Eleanor, and Oliver, and his eight grandchildren.
The funeral service will be held at Lorimer Chapel at Warriston Crematorium in Edinburgh on Thursday 11 December at 2 pm, to which all family and friends are welcome. The family has requested no flowers, but donations, if desired, may be made to MND Scotland and the RNLI via Porteous Funerals.