Career Biography

Chiseng Hou is the General Counsel of Manulife Cambodia and a member of the executive leadership team. With over a decade of legal experience, including a pivotal role as Chief Corporate Governance Officer, he brings broad and deep expertise across legal, compliance, risk management, corporate governance, company secretariat, and regulatory affairs. His career reflects a consistent focus on building robust governance framework and enabling business growth through sound legal and regulatory practice. He has a proven track record in successfully establishing two international life insurance businesses in Cambodia, reflecting deep industry insight, strategic leadership, and a strong focus on regulatory excellence.

After beginning his legal profession with a law firm handling criminal and civil cases, Chiseng transitioned to an in-house role in 2017 with an international life insurance company, at a time when the life insurance industry in Cambodia was still in its early stages and operating under limited and outdated regulations. This environment sparked his passion for regulatory development while supporting financial protection for the broader community. Working in-house allowed him to contribute meaningfully to both business growth and market development.

In his leadership role, Chiseng has navigated complex prioritization challenges across licensing, product development, internal governance, and policy creation. His strategic approach balanced short-term operational readiness with long-term governance goals, ensuring sustainable growth and regulatory compliance. His work has helped ensure that businesses are not only compliant but also resilient and trusted by shareholders, customers, and regulators.

He has actively participated in drafting and reviewing key regulatory instruments, offering insights from both legal and private sector perspectives. His advocacy for fair, practicable regulations and sufficient transition periods has helped promote a more balanced and resilient insurance ecosystem.

Chiseng is a qualified lawyer in Cambodia since 2017 and holds both an LLB and LLM. He has also earned multiple professional certifications, including the ICA Advanced Certificate in Governance, Risk and Compliance (2025), ICA Certificate in KYC and CDD (2024), and the ICA International Advanced Certificate in Anti-Money Laundering (2022).

He previously contributed to the development of Cambodia’s legal and insurance sectors by lecturing on the country’s insurance legal framework at the master’s level at the Royal University of Law and Economics. For Chiseng, this was more than teaching, it was knowledge sharing to help the next generation understand the importance of financial protection and legal awareness.

Chiseng believes legal and compliance functions should not be seen as barriers to business, but as enablers of sustainable growth. In his words, “Legal and compliance are not the brakes—they are the backbone that helps a business sit upright and move forward with confidence.”