Ms Bao is a graduate of Cornell University and was a Fulbright Scholar in China. She obtained a Juris Doctor from the University of Wisconsin Law School and a Master of Arts in Arbitration and Dispute Resolution from the City University of Hong Kong. She is admitted to the New York Bar and has substantial experience in international arbitration, having previously clerked at the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris and worked with several major international law firms.

Ms Bao takes on her new position at a time when the HKIAC is expected to take on a more active role in handling arbitration matters. In the past, HKIAC arbitrations were frequently conducted under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, with some assistance from the HKIAC provided in accordance with the HKIAC Procedures for the Administration of International Arbitration. In September 2008, the HKIAC introduced its Administered Arbitration Rules (see Legal update, Hong Kong: important developments of 2009). While the rules adopt a "light touch" approach to the administration of arbitrations, they are nonetheless expected to increase the administrative role of the HKIAC in arbitrations conducted under those rules. It is understood that to date, about 30 arbitrations have been administered under these Rules.