Who We Are
Forging a path from Ashurst to esports – Lloyd Meng, Chief Growth Officer at TALON Esports
For Lloyd Meng, becoming General Counsel and then Chief Growth Officer at TALON Esports this year is a dream come true – one his younger self could never have imagined.
“I was a big gamer when I was growing up, at a time when that wasn’t a really acceptable way to spend your time. Most people didn’t understand the appeal of playing video games, let alone watching someone else playing them. But I’ve always loved gaming, which is why having the opportunity to be part of this amazing, evolving industry still feels a bit surreal”, said Lloyd.
Chasing the dream
After completing his law degree at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and his master’s degree at the London School of Economics and Political Science – and becoming a champion oralist in legal moots along the way – Lloyd started his professional career as a lawyer. He joined Ashurst Hong Kong in 2018 as a trainee solicitor and went on to become part of the Corporate Transactions team after undertaking a secondment with the firm’s Global Loans team in London.
Lloyd was delighted to have been offered a role at Ashurst and initially thought he would pursue the path to partnership. “Of all the highlights in my career so far, I think being offered a training contract at Ashurst is the one that’s made me feel the most accomplished. The first time I led an M&A transaction from start to finish is a close second. I couldn’t have asked for a better boss and mentor than Chin Yeoh – he remains my good friend and adviser to this day.”
The longer Lloyd practised law, the more interested he became in business. He also wanted to pursue the creative work he’d been doing with his wife through their YouTube channel, Em and Lloyd, which they describe as “two former lawyers exploring and experimenting their way through their 30s”.
After the pandemic, Lloyd decided to take a break from the law and try something new – but it wasn’t an easy decision. “Walking away from private practice without anything concrete to step into was scary. I was surrounded by people who thought about their careers only in terms of staying, moving to a different firm, or finding an in-house legal role.”
In making the move, Lloyd was inspired by some pertinent advice he received from a London trainee who supervised him during one of his prior internships. Lloyd’s friend had strategically networked internally to arrange his penultimate trainee seat rotation so that he could work with a world-renowned derivatives lawyer in London. As he told Lloyd, “You can’t always wait for the opportunity. Sometimes you have to take control of the process and influence the outcome.”
In March 2023, Lloyd started working as an independent consultant advising businesses of various sizes on growth strategy, operations and risk, including in the context of cryptocurrencies. “I’ve always been fascinated by cryptocurrencies, and I wrote my thesis on virtual currencies implemented in payment systems in online video games. I remember my supervisor told me to buy Ethereum, which was cheap at the time. Shame I didn’t…”
Lloyd worked on a notable consulting project that involved advising TALON Esports, one of Asia's most recognised professional esports organisations, on its player signings heading into the 2024 competitive season. Shortly afterwards, TALON asked Lloyd to join them full time as their General Counsel.
Claiming a career in esports
Esports involves organised, multiplayer video game competitions between teams or individuals. Esports businesses are similar to other major sporting competition businesses, except that elite play involves a mix of strategy and precise inputs with a mouse and keyboard or controller, rather than physical feats of strength found in competitive sports like basketball, football or cycling. In fact, esports is one of the fastest growing industries in the world and is projected to be worth more than $5 billion within the next five years.
As both Chief Growth Officer and General Counsel, Lloyd blends his passion for gaming with his legal and business skills and his academic background. He’s responsible for devising and delivering the strategy for expanding the company’s product, advisory, consultancy and agency businesses. He also manages all legal matters within the company, including player and sponsor agreements and compliance with esports league rules and regulations.
“I’m working in a fast-paced, ever-changing new industry, which is a lot of fun. I’m passionate about growing the business at TALON by developing new revenue streams that could potentially define the future of the esports industry as a whole, and by contributing to the success of games people actually want to play. I also still get to enjoy the intellectual exercise of doing legal work, such as writing my own contracts or reviewing drafts from counterparties”, Lloyd explained.
Looking after your whole self
Through their YouTube channel, Lloyd and his wife Em share their experiences of working as lawyers in Hong Kong and offer some insightful advice for other lawyers.
Lloyd encourages others to look after their whole selves and passionately follows his own advice. He pursues his creative interests, goes to the gym every day, and cooks good food. In fact, his love of an excellent steak led him to form a close friendship with his butcher – and to get married in the butcher shop!
Despite his busy role, Lloyd also makes sure he finds time for some gaming. When pressed, he modestly admits to achieving “a couple of global rank 1s” in World of Warcraft in the past. Today, he mostly enjoys playing Riot Games’ VALORANT. He’s gone ‘old school’ and has started collecting Pokemon cards too.
Reflecting on his career journey so far, Lloyd observed that “lots of people take a career break because they don’t want to keep doing something – I think it’s much better to do it because you want something else”.
“I’ve found new meaning in my work, so I’m glad I took the path I did”, he added. “Although, if I had the opportunity to give myself some advice back then, it would have been to have more lined up before I started consulting. It can be stressful looking for your own engagements.”
