China 2025
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Vice president and general counsel | Foxconn Industrial Internet
Head of Legal Affairs, Aviation Leasing Division | Bank of Communications Financial Leasing
General manager of Legal Compliance and Risk Management Department | Dajia Insurance Group
VP，Deputy General Counsel and General Counsel ，China Legal | Lenovo Group
Director of Legal and Risk Controling Department | China Datang Overseas Investment
Group Assistant Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer | Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dair
Deputy General Manager, Board Secretary, and Chief Legal Officer | Beijing Jiaman Clothing
Head of Legal and Compliance Department | China Coal Construction Group
General Manager of Legal and Compliance Department | China CITIC Financial Asset Management
Chief compliance officer and general counsel | Beijing NAURA Microelectronics Equipment Company
Director of Intellectual Property and Legal Affairs Center | Shenzhen DYMIND Biotechnology
Board Secretary、Internal Control Officer | YINGJIA DISTILLERY
Head of Legal Department | Maxscend Miceoelectronics Company Limited
Head of Legal Affairs | Qin Chuangyuan Science and Technology Innovation Investment
General manager of legal and compliance affairs | China Telecom Jiang su Branch
Legal Department Director | China Audio-Video Copyright Association (CAVCA)
Senior Legal Director - Complete Housing Business Unit | KE Holdings
Deputy Director of Legal & Compliance Dept. | Bejing Automotive Group
Vice president, general counsel and head of corporate affairs | Tencent
Director, Vice president ,General counsel | Yonyou Network Technology
Deputy Director of the Securities and Legal Department | CECEP Ironman Environmental Technology
General Counsel | Beijing Electron Digital Intelligence Technology
International Legal Affairs Supervisor/ICBU | Beijing Tensam High-Tech Wind Power Equipment
Vice general manager of intellectual property and legal center | Appotronics Corporation
General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, China | A. O. Smith Corporation
Deputy General Manager, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer | China Telecom Cloud Technology Co., Ltd
Global Compliance Manager (Business Operations) | Ruijie Networks
Executive Director | CEC Xianyang Western Intelligence Valley Industrial
Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief Compliance Officer | China Three Gorges Corporation
Legal Head for Greater China Region, including mainland China, Hongkong, Macao and Taiwan | Pfizer
VP，General Counsel Greater China | Infineon Technologies Greater China
Director of Legal and Compliance Department | Guangzhou Digital Technology Group
Director of Internal Control Contract Department | Xi'an Tongchou Technology Development
On behalf of Legal 500, I am delighted to introduce the GC Powerlist: China 2025.
This edition highlights the general counsel and in-house legal teams who play a crucial role in shaping China’s corporate and legal landscape. Through our research, we spoke with professionals who not only provide expert legal guidance but also influence strategy, drive transformation, and support business growth.
We were thrilled to receive a large number of nominations from China-based law firms and in-house teams, reflecting the country’s vibrant and engaged legal community. Across China, general counsel are increasingly moving beyond traditional advisory roles. They are central to navigating complex regulations, enabling innovation, supporting governance and compliance priorities, and guiding their organisations through periods of rapid change. The GC Powerlist: China 2025 celebrates those who combine deep legal expertise with leadership, vision, and tangible impact.
Managing uncertainty and building resilience is a common theme. Helen Wang, Head of Legal at Aspen China, explains:
‘Rapid legal risk mapping and business prioritisation is essential. In times of instability, my focus is to identify which legal and compliance exposures are mission-critical, and to integrate Legal into the core of the crisis response so decisions are legally safe and commercially viable.’
Brian Chen, Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Greater China, KONE Corporation, highlights a complementary approach:
‘Crisis management requires a combination of contract risk management, compliance monitoring, legal risk assessment, and clear stakeholder communication, supported by a structured crisis response plan. Legal is not just a gatekeeper — it is a platform for enabling resilience.’
Albert Xu, Head of Legal, BOCOM International, adds:
‘During periods of instability, I refine our legal risk early-warning mechanism, intervene proactively, and enhance inter-departmental communication and collaboration — ensuring that the team can respond rapidly and maintain business continuity.’
Driving strategic impact and business transformation is another defining trait. Zhao Peng, General Counsel & Legal Director, Rsun Group Limited, observes:
‘Our team positions itself as a business collaborator, transforming legal capabilities into momentum for strategic implementation. For example, by leading the closure optimisation of loss-making stores, we protected cash flow, safeguarded brand reputation, and enabled the light-asset transformation of the commercial sector.’
Victor Zhou, Intellectual Property Director, Anwen Group, illustrates the forward-looking mindset:
‘Proactive IP risk mapping and scenario planning are critical. In recent geopolitical tensions affecting trade, we conducted a supply chain IP audit and renegotiated key agreements to minimise operational impact — ensuring that legal acts as a stabiliser and enabler, not a bottleneck.’
Taken together, these perspectives highlight the strengths of China’s in-house legal community: resilient, strategically minded, and forward-looking. Legal teams are increasingly doing more than managing risk; they are helping shape business strategy, informing key decisions, and delivering measurable impact.
The GC Powerlist: China 2025 reflects this shift across the country’s legal community: from risk management to strategic influence, from technical advice to business impact, and from individual contribution to collaborative excellence.
We are pleased to present this year’s GC Powerlist: China, recognising the legal professionals who are shaping the future of corporate law while connecting local insight with global influence.
On 26 March, Legal 500 partnered with Portuguese law firm PLMJ to bring its renewed sustainability‑focused conference series to Lisbon with the ESG Forum: Portugal 2026. The half‑day event gathered senior leaders from the legal, financial, energy and sustainability spheres for a concentrated programme hosted at PLMJ’s offices. Throughout the sessions, speakers explored the regulatory, governance and enforcement forces reshaping ESG strategy in Portugal, offering a clear cross‑sector perspective on how organisations are adapting to an increasingly complex and fast‑moving landscape.
The event opened with some welcome remarks from Legal 500 editor Francisco Castro, who emphasised the value of events that bring the in‑house community together to learn, exchange experiences and build meaningful professional networks. In his welcome address, he highlighted the growing complexity of ESG obligations across Europe and the increasing pressure on organisations to adopt integrated, business‑wide approaches to compliance, risk management and strategic planning. By underscoring the need for practical, grounded discussion rather than abstract theory, he set the tone for a programme designed to deliver actionable insight and foster collaboration among practitioners navigating a rapidly evolving ESG landscape.
Followed an opening brief delivered by PLMJ’s Managing Partner, Bruno Ferreira, who provided a concise yet comprehensive overview of the ESG priorities defining Portugal in 2026. He outlined the expanding influence of EU regulatory frameworks on corporate reporting, due diligence and governance, noting how these requirements are reshaping expectations around data quality, transparency and accountability. His remarks positioned ESG not as a peripheral concern but as a central driver of corporate behaviour, capital flows and long‑term competitiveness in the Portuguese market.
The first panel, moderated by João Marques Mendes, Partner at PLMJ and joined by Cláudia Teixeira de Almeida of Banco BPI, Nuno Moraes Bastos of GALP and Diogo Graça of REN, explored how corporate governance and sustainable finance are shaping Portugal’s energy transition. The discussion examined how boards and executive teams are adapting oversight structures to manage transition‑related risks and how legal, compliance, sustainability and procurement functions are increasingly intertwined in project governance. Panellists described the growing influence of financing structures on project execution, noting that lenders’ expectations around ESG metrics, contractor performance and transparency now shape governance decisions from the earliest stages. They also addressed the operational constraints that continue to challenge Portugal’s transition ambitions, including permitting timelines, grid capacity limitations and delivery risk. While acknowledging the complexity of EU‑level frameworks, speakers emphasised that these standards also present strategic opportunities to harmonise practices, unlock investment and strengthen Portugal’s competitive position in the energy transition.
Following a short break, the second panel turned to litigation, liability and the emerging enforcement era surrounding sustainability claims. Moderated by Raquel Azevedo, Partner at PLMJ and featuring contributions from Carla Góis Coelho of PLMJ, Carlos Martins Ferreira of Jerónimo Martins, Filipa Rodrigues Carmona of Caixa Geral de Depósitos and Céline da Graça Pires of NOVA, the session examined the rapid rise of ESG‑driven disputes, investigations and regulatory actions. Panellists discussed the typical trigger points for scrutiny, ranging from sustainability reports and corporate websites to marketing materials and investor presentations, and highlighted how these touchpoints are increasingly tested by regulators, competitors, consumers and NGOs. They analysed recent case law developments and their implications for Portuguese organisations, noting the emergence of more stringent evidentiary standards around disclosures and due‑diligence obligations. The panel concluded that sustainability claims can no longer be treated as aspirational messaging; they now carry the weight of binding legal obligations, requiring more rigorous internal validation and cross‑functional coordination.
The forum concluded with closing remarks from Francisco Castro, after which attendees were invited to continue their conversations over a light lunch, providing a relaxed setting to deepen connections and reflect on the themes explored throughout the morning.
Legal 500 extends its thanks to PLMJ for its collaboration in bringing this conference format to Portugal’s in‑house legal community. The team looks forward to returning soon for the launch event of this year’s GC Powerlist: Portugal.
