About

Tim Wong joined Luxottica as general counsel in 2013 after accruing prior executive in-house legal experience as group general counsel in the Asia Pacific region for George Weston Foods, and as company secretary of Associated British Foods between 2003 and 2012. Wong came to the in-house sector after a private practice career that saw him become a partner of Corrs Chambers Westgarth, where he practiced between 1999 and 2003.

While at Associated British Foods, Wong managed the acquisition of global yeast, herbs and spices group Burns Philp for US$1.35bn in 2004, and apart from obtaining the ACCC and NZCC clearances, he had a major role in the extensive Asian due diligence exercise required for its successful completions. During this experience he demonstrated his ability to meet tight deadlines, gather vast amounts of information from different sources, respond to regulator’s requests and meet with regulators, working closely with the global M&A team (Europe and the US) and external counsel. In his current role he has continued to manage major deals in this vein.

One notable example was the obtainment of ACCC and NZ Commerce Commission merger clearance for the proposed global €50bn merger of Luxottica Group, the world’s leading consumer eyewear group and Essilor, the world’s biggest manufacturer of lenses. He identified that as an in-house counsel it is crucially important to have ‘the ability to remain calm and thoughtful under pressure, providing practical commercial legal advice.’ Wong’s extensive experience and training both in-house and in private practice over 25 years provides him with the know-how to handle a broad range of matters even if he has not encountered them before. Wong continues to highlight building strong relationships with the business so that legal is seen as a business partner not a blocker.

He values seeking legal input earlier in the process, building teams and talent, changing the mix of legal work done internally and externally to reduce costs and increase productivity, and also changing law firms to better suit the needs of the business whilst reducing costs, providing legal self-help tools for the business so legal can focus on adding more value to the business.