Mergers & Acquisitions names the 2022 Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A, including Reed Smith’s Jennifer Cheng.

How did you further your firm’s ESG goals?

I have been working with our firm’s Social Impact Finance Group over the past year on various impact investments, particularly in the financial services industry. For example, I am currently representing a fund that is a national Minority Depository Institutions (MDI) capital fund that is making investments in MDIs that primarily lends or facilitates lending to small businesses or individuals in low and moderate-income areas to promote community development, generate good job growth and economic development across the nation which is part of a wider effort to support strategic initiatives that address the elimination of the racial wealth gap. The fund is also managed by minority stakeholders who I am always eager to support.

How are you a champion of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)?

I have always demonstrated a strong commitment to diversity and served as partner chair of the firm’s Asian American Business Inclusion Group in 2019 and 2020. I also currently represent Reed Smith as a member of the Asian Affinity Roundtable, an association of more than 50 corporate Asian American employee networks created to share opportunities for cross-company events and promote Asian Americans to management positions within their organizations.

How are you advancing the state of women?

I am a member of two networks: Women’s Excellence Network and Top Women in M&A (New York chapter). Both are professional business development and relationship building organizations focused on creating sustained opportunities for women in M&A and the financial services industry.