What are the most significant cases, projects or transactions that you and/or your legal team have recently been involved in?

The integration of Credit Suisse, which the UBS Group merged with in March 2023, continued to be the most significant project for UBS in Japan as well as elsewhere through to 2024. The merger of Credit Suisse’s holding company into UBS Group AG in Switzerland in June 2023 was only the beginning of the complex process of integrating two of the world’s most significant international banking groups across the globe. In Japan, we needed to structure and execute the integration of different Credit Suisse legal entities and businesses into UBS through to December 2024, requiring intensive and complex legal work. Follow-up work continues in 2025.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

Partnership is a core value at the Group Legal function at UBS. Given the breadth and depth of our business at UBS, the Legal team works closely with various stakeholders in the bank, whether front office departments or control functions. By working in partnership with the rest of the bank and within the Legal team, the UBS Legal team is well positioned to support the bank through issues and challenges.

Based on your experiences in the past year, are there any trends in the legal or business world that you are keeping an eye on that you think other in-house lawyers should be mindful of?

The use of artificial intelligence is gaining increasing importance at work at a pace faster than expected, and we must keep it high on our agenda as in-house counsel. Proactive yet prudent use of AI is critical for any successful in-house legal team. We aspire to advance with, and take advantage of, developments in AI accordingly.

What is a cause, business or otherwise, that you are passionate about? Why is this?

I enjoy being part of Capital Market Forum, an expert group that helps young members of academia shape and develop their research in the capital markets. The Forum was established by the Japan Securities Dealers Association (JSDA), with its 25 members appointed from among academics and practitioners. The group invites young researchers, typically assistant professors, to propose research topics aligned with current issues in the capital markets. We then provide advice and feedback as they develop their research. It is inspirational to be together with prominent commentators in law, economics, and finance as they exchange views within the Forum. It is also a rewarding experience to witness young researchers develop research that may positively impact the capital markets.