Career Biography   

Ryan N. Espiritu is currently Western Union’s Regional Data Protection Officer and Legal Counsel supporting APAC and the Middle East, as well as the Site Leader of its Business Office in the Philippines. He holds an IAPP Certification as a Certified Information Privacy Professional for Asia (CIPP/Asia).

Prior to Western Union, he served as General Legal Counsel and Global GSC Privacy Counsel at 3M Global Service Center–Philippines, and as Legal Affairs Manager & Data Protection Officer at Emerson Electric Asia, Ltd. – ROHQ. He was part of the academe for more than 10 years and has practised as an attorney for over 18 years, specialising in data privacy, labour and employment, litigation, and intellectual property.

He began his legal career with Chan Robles & Associates Law Firm. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Nueva Caceres School of Law and his undergraduate degree in B.S. Legal Management from Ateneo de Naga University.

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

One of our priorities is to monitor the global artificial intelligence regulatory landscape. Considering the inevitable integration of AI in the financial industry and the rapid evolution of AI technology, it is a challenge to operationalise various AI regulations. This is particularly true in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions, where AI regulations can be robust in some countries and non-existent in others. As a global company, we operate a global privacy and data governance programme that aims to address the requirements of privacy laws and regulations worldwide, including those relevant to AI. Hence, it is essential for us to remain consistently vigilant for regulatory developments in the numerous jurisdictions where we have a business presence.

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

A company’s legal organisation is most often, if not always, viewed as a beacon of stability and fortitude in times of crisis. During such periods, it is important that a legal organisation remains vigilant in complying with legal requirements. In this regard, I have always valued employee morale as a crucial element of an organisation’s resilience. Even when an organisation is experiencing challenging times, so long as employees feel valued and supported, those challenges will not endure, and the organisation will overcome adversity.

What do you think are the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel to possess?

A modern in-house counsel should be agile, independent, and capable of running a one-person legal team. This is because most companies, especially multinational ones, tend to have very lean legal organisations spread across vast regions. Due to the fast-paced nature of in-house practice, they must be able to quickly process limited information to make reliable decisions. They do not need to be technologically savvy, but they must be willing to embrace and learn new technologies such as AI. Whether we like it or not, modern technology is an integral part of contemporary in-house practice.

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

I have always been passionate about pro bono practice. In the Philippines, there continue to be numerous people belonging to the vulnerable sectors of the community, such as juveniles, women who are victims of abuse, and persons with disabilities. These individuals are often in the greatest need of legal assistance and frequently lack the means to engage competent lawyers. I have always viewed legal practice as a way to help the disadvantaged. Hence, I support and participate in pro bono activities whenever I can.

What have you done to further diversity objectives in your organisation?

I am the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) APAC Lead of our legal organisation. In this role, I help execute our DEIB strategic priorities across APAC. I also work with our Culture and Belonging team in the Philippines to develop DEIB projects and activities in collaboration with internal and external partners.