Event information
Legal 500 is delighted to announce the 2025 edition of GC Summit Malaysia. Taking place on 15th July 2025 at the Mandarin Oriental in Kuala Lumpur, we are looking forward to building on the tremendous success of our previous events by delivering a set of sessions which get to the heart of what modern GCs in a dynamic and growing economy can do to get ahead.
Join leading practitioners and esteemed in-house counsel for a day of thought-provoking panel discussions and presentations exploring key trends, developments, and challenges facing modern general counsel in Malaysia. The event will offer practical insights into the evolving role of in-house lawyers and the increasingly strategic position they hold in steering their organisations.
As always, a key focus of the GC Summit is connection and collaboration. Attendees will have ample opportunities to network with fellow senior legal professionals, share experiences, and discover new, innovative approaches to enhance their work.
In collaboration with our event partners, the Summit will feature a series of dynamic sessions on some of the most pressing and forward-looking topics, including:
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- Data Protection and Privacy in 2025: Compliance, enforcement trends, and what GCs need to know
- Opportunity in Complexity and Volatility: Getting deals done in uncertain times
- Building an Effective Governance Programme
- Legal Operations: Doing more with less
- Legal Leadership in Crisis: Navigating cyber attacks, litigation, and PR challenges
- Engaging with Policymakers and Regulators
- Managing Complex Cross-Border Disputes
- Responding to an Evolving Employment Landscape
- Drawing on the diverse expertise of our accomplished speakers, the event will provide practical, hands-on guidance for today’s in-house legal leaders.
This is a must-attend event for all in-house counsel in Malaysia looking to sharpen their skills, expand their network, and exchange best practices with their peers.
Agenda
12.00pm – 1.00pm Registration and welcome lunch
1.00pm – 1.15pm Opening Remarks
- Joe Boswell, editor GC powerlist series, Legal 500
1.15pm – 2.05pm A New Era of Data Privacy Compliance: Mandatory DPOs, Breach Reporting & Cross-Border Transfer Challenges Under Malaysia’s PDPA
Malaysia’s data privacy legal landscape is undergoing a sea change. With sweeping reforms aligning local standards to global expectations, organisations must now prepare for new mandatory requirements, including the appointment of Data Protection Officers, data breach notification obligations, and Transfer Impact Assessments for cross-border data transfers. This session will unpack what these changes mean, what’s coming next, and how businesses should strategically respond.
- Lo Khai Yi, partner, HHQ Advocates and Solicitors
- Ong Johnson, partner, HHQ Advocates and Solicitors
- Yin Ee Ong, head, group legal, compliance and risk management, Warisan TC Holdings
2.05pm – 2.55pm Conducting an Internal Investigation: best practice tips, self-reporting to the authorities and disclosure and creating a fit-for-purpose whistleblowing culture
Our panel discussion will take an insightful look at what internal investigations are and best practice tips for conducting an investigation. The session will also consider the pros and cons of self-reporting conduct issues to the authorities and crisis management to mitigate harm to company reputation. The panel will share its expertise when it comes to creating an effective whistleblowing culture and share case studies from their own experiences of navigating corporate investigations.
2.55pm – 3.15pm Coffee Break
3.15pm – 4.05pm Panel 3
4.05pm – 4.55pm Panel 4
4.55pm – 5.10pm Coffee Break
5.10pm – 6.00pm GCs in conversation
- Joe Boswell, editor GC powerlist series, Legal 500
6.00pm – 6.05pm Closing Remarks
- Joe Boswell, editor GC powerlist series, Legal 500
6.05pm – 7.00pm Drinks and canapes
Speakers
Lo Khai Yi, partner, HHQ Advocates and Solicitors
Lo Khai Yi’s passion for technology has helped him built an expertise in the dynamic and complex fields of Technology, Media and Telecommunications (“TMT”). In the current landscape where technology digitisation and data digitalisation are the trend, Khai Yi’s skillsets and understanding of the evolving tech industries are able to be put to good use to benefit his clienteles.
Having dedicated himself in the fields of TMT, Khai Yi’s comprehensive knowledge and experience encompass a wide spectrum of issues concerning the subject matter. In the vast realm of TMT, Khai Yi is often sought after on matters relating to technology outsourcing and acquisition, telecommunication licensing and acquisition, cyber security, data privacy, data centre development, telecommunications and digital infrastructure, blockchain and digital assets, software commercialisation and acquisition, digital media, licensing, technology centric mergers and acquisitions, regulatory and compliance, IP prosecution and enforcement, e-money, electronic transaction, payment tokenisation, electronic vehicles, franchising and technology outsourcing.
Khai Yi serves a wide range of clientele, trusted by not only unicorn-to-be startups, but also financial institutions, public listed corporations, multi-national technology companies, mobile network operators, as well as GLCs.
Ong Johnson, partner, HHQ Advocates and Solicitors
Ong Johnson is the Head of the Technology Practice Group, specialising in TMT (Technology, Media, and Telecommunications) law. He has deep and diverse experience in helping boards and executive teams navigate rapidly evolving technology regulatory and compliance issues involving AI, digital assets, Real-World Asset (RWA) tokenization, fintech, cybersecurity, data protection, and competition law.
His ability to navigate complex regulatory landscapes is supported by a close working relationship with key regulators, including Bank Negara Malaysia, the Securities Commission Malaysia, and the Personal Data Protection Commissioner. This regulatory engagement enables him to guide clients across fintech, data protection, cybersecurity, AI regulation, and other emerging technology sectors with a level of insight and precision that few can match.
Ong Johnson is widely recognized as a thought leader in the TMT and Fintech sectors, frequently invited to speak at national forums, conferences, and roundtable discussions on a diverse range of technology law topics, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, personal data protection framework, DeFi, licensing for Internet Messaging and Social Media Services, data centers, and more.
Yin Ee Ong, head, group legal, compliance and risk management, Warisan TC Holdings
Yin Ee takes on a huge set of responsibilities for Warisan TC Holdings, a conglomerate with main activities in automotive, machinery, travel, car rental and consumer products. As well as being general manager and head of group legal, compliance and risk management, she also functions as the group integrity officer and sustainability liaison officer. Alongside legal and regulatory advice, she is a trusted advisor on the Group’s activities both in Malaysia and abroad, particularly in the areas of risk management, sustainability, and anti- bribery and corruption.
Yin Ee has over 20 years of working experience in private practice, financial and automotive industries. Prior to working with Warisan, she was with Tan Chong Motor Holdings, OCBC Bank (Malaysia), Hong Leong Financial Group and Bank. She has international experience, having worked at Hong Leong Bank Vietnam for eight years and supported Hong Leong Bank’s investment in China.
Joe Boswell, editor GC powerlist series, Legal 500
Joe Boswell has been a part of the Legal 500’s editorial team, specialising in the in-house legal community, for almost a decade. He now heads The Powerlist team, acting as chief editor for the over 40 separate editions of the GC Powerlist series which serve as The Legal 500’s flagship title celebrating the world’s top in-house counsel. He is also head of the international events content team.
During the course of researching for the GC Powerlist series, Boswell has interviewed a vast number of world-renowned general counsel, chief legal officers, and legal directors about overcoming the challenges they face, their legal innovations, and how they see the general counsel role progressing in coming years. As well as this, he is a regular speaker at Legal 500 summits, roundtables, award ceremonies and other events, and often writes in-depth reports on business and legal issues.
Boswell is an alumnus of both the University of Sussex in The United Kingdom and the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in The Netherlands.
