Team size: 13

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

Recently, my team and I have been instrumental in navigating complex international IP challenges crucial for our global expansion. A standout achievement includes successfully resolving a major patent infringement dispute with a multinational chemical giant concerning core battery material technology. This involved coordinating litigation strategies across multiple jurisdictions, culminating in a favourable settlement that secured our freedom to operate in key markets like Europe and North America. Furthermore, we have led negotiations for several critical patent cross-licensing agreements with industry leaders such as LG Chem and BASF. These agreements, while confidential in specific terms, have been pivotal in mitigating risks, fostering collaboration, and ensuring uninterrupted access to essential technologies for our new energy product lines. Beyond contentious matters, we recently completed a comprehensive IP due diligence project for a significant overseas investment in Southeast Asia, identifying potential risks and formulating strategies that supported the executive team’s investment decision.

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

My approach is proactive, agile, and deeply integrated with business operations. Firstly, I prioritise robust risk anticipation. We maintain a dynamic IP risk map, continuously monitoring the global legal, geopolitical, and competitive landscape to identify potential crises before they escalate. Secondly, during a crisis, clear communication and rapid response are paramount. I establish a cross-functional task force including R&D, supply chain, and senior management to ensure legal strategies are aligned with business continuity plans. We focus on scenario planning to have pre-defined response protocols for various situations, such as sudden IP litigation or supply chain disruptions caused by regulatory changes. For instance, during recent geopolitical tensions affecting trade, we swiftly conducted a supply chain IP audit, identified alternative technologies, and re-negotiated key agreements to minimise operational impact. This ensures that the legal function acts as a stabiliser and enabler, not a bottleneck, during turbulence.

What strategies do you employ to ensure the successful digital transformation of a legal department while maintaining compliance with your country’s data protection laws?

Our digital transformation strategy is built on a “secure-by-design” principle. We partner closely with our IT and cybersecurity teams from the inception of any legal tech project. Before implementing new tools like AI-powered prior art search engines or contract lifecycle management systems, we conduct thorough data privacy impact assessments aligned with China’s Personal Information Protection Law and other relevant regulations. Key strategies include ensuring data localisation where required, implementing strict access controls and encryption, and providing mandatory training for the legal team on data handling protocols. We view compliance not as a barrier but as a foundational element of a mature, efficient, and trustworthy digital legal function.

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?

Two interconnected trends demand attention: the intensification of global IP scrutiny and the rise of ESG as a core business and legal imperative. In the energy and tech sectors, IP is increasingly a tool for geopolitical competition. In-house lawyers must be adept at managing not just legal risks but also navigating complex international regulations and trade policies impacting technology transfer and collaboration. Concurrently, ESG is evolving from a reporting requirement to a strategic driver. Legal teams should proactively develop expertise in green patents, ensure supply chain compliance with evolving sustainability standards, and integrate ESG considerations into M&A due diligence and corporate governance to future-proof their organisations.