Green Southeast Asia 2023

As the GC Powerlist series grows, we look to create editions that highlight individuals who excel in areas we may not have shone a light on until this point. With impending climate change looming over all of us, and our interviews over recent years showing conclusively just how important in-house lawyers can be in driving change in their organisations, a Green GC Powerlist was an obvious new avenue to examine. As for where to target, Southeast Asia was the perfect choice given the huge and continuing investment in renewable energy, the great quality of the individuals here, and the appetite of the major corporations to commit to sustainability initiatives.

We realised early on that we had to go even further than we would usually to create a list that is truly representative. On advice from the in-house lawyers we spoke to during the opening round of interviews, we decided to expand the scope of the project further to take into account the Sustainability Officers and other businesspeople who are doing so much to advance Green initiatives in Southeast Asia. Certainly a first for our research team!

The interviews we did were illuminating. ‘As lawyers, we are well-placed to chart our organisations’ respective journeys through the ‘alphabet soup’ of ESG factors, operating from an accountability lens to accurately measure the impact of our corporate behaviours’, says Maree Myerscough, chief operating officer and general counsel of Aquila Clean Energy, a view shared by Hong Teong Goh, chief legal officer, Louis Dreyfus Company Asia: ‘Many initiatives today, especially those related to ESG, must be embedded at the very heart of corporate strategy and business function buy-ins. In-house lawyers play a key role in guiding new policies that are in the best interests of the company, working with its different departments to support solutions derived from a broad perspective of the organisation.’

Highlighting the high degree of synergy between CSOs and GCs, Susana Lim, vice president sustainability and data privacy of GIC, echoed these statements. ‘The global pace of developments in sustainability regulations has been nothing short of frenetic’, she explains. ‘In-house lawyers play an important role in keeping the company abreast of these developments, whether in relation to the company’s reporting obligations, sustainability-related regulations, or the trends in climate litigation and greenwashing claims.’

Kristian Nico Calugay Acosta, legal manager of Golden ABC in the Philippines, urged a degree of caution in terms of how to assess how sustainable – or not – a company is. ‘The nexus between sustainable innovation and environmental advocacy is usually left out (or disregarded) when discussing how green a company is’, he theorises. ‘It is not enough to internally innovate corporate policies and procedures to make a company green. Companies must also publicly advocate for ESG to raise environmental awareness among its clients, consumers or target markets.’

Many thanks to all the inspiring general counsel, in-house lawyers and sustainability officers who spoke to either myself or Francisco Castro for this milestone project, and congratulations on being selected to join this elite group who are doing so much to create a more renewable world for us all.

Joe Boswell
Global Editor – Powerlist Series

Francisco Castro
Research Analyst

Green GC Powerlist: Southeast Asia 2023

The Green GC Powerlist marks perhaps the most radical new endeavour in the GC Powerlist series up to this point, as we seek to highlight in-house lawyers who have done the most to forward sustainability and renewability initiatives. During the course of researching for the Powerlist, we realised it was imperative to go further than simply looking at in house lawyers; as such, prominent sustainability officers also appeared on the list, with many well-renowned individuals making the cut and in attendance on the evening.
As for where to target first for a Green GC Powerlist edition, Southeast Asia was the perfect choice given the huge and continuing investment in renewable energy across the region, the great quality of the individuals here, and the appetite of the major corporations to commit to sustainability initiatives.

Fort Canning Hotel was chosen for its location in the middle of the lush Fort Canning Park, and made for an excellent and fitting backdrop to the reception. Turnout was exceptional, with over 200 individuals in attendance, all waiting in anticipation for the award ceremony and speeches from the guest of honour, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment of Singapore Grace Fu, and Rajah & Tann Singapore Managing Partner Patrick Ang.
Global editor for The Legal 500’s Powerlist series, Joe Boswell, kicked off proceedings with a welcome speech and hearty congratulations to everyone who made it on to the Green GC Powerlist, whether in attendance or not. Patrick Ang to the podium to echo the congratulations and pledge Rajah & Tann’s support for sustainability initiatives across Southeast Asia.

The guest of honour, Grace Fu, then delivered the main speech of the evening and displayed her effortless charisma, stage command and wit

Green Southeast Asia 2023

Name

Industries

Powerlist

Adam Vuaran

Adelene Anthony

Adrian Yeo

Aileen Tan

Alex Liam

Alisa Chi Yan Chhoa

Alvin Foo

Amanda Williams

Ana Silvia Dias Haynes

Andrew Liew

Andrew Ong Ser Choong

Anita Varshney

Antonia Moll

April Khor

Benita Lee

Benjamin Goss

Bui Anh Tu

Cassandra Lee Hong

Christian Gerard P. Castillo

Christopher Betts

Christopher Buay

Cindy Lim

Corey Whiting

DaeKeun Chung (Sam)

Dan Cho

Dodjie Lagazo

Doris Chen

Eileen Wong

Elaine Koh Ru Yee

Eric Lim

Ericz Ezekiel Tay

Esther An

Felix Tse

Foo Kean Shuh

Gary Partington

Gillian Koh Tan

Ginney Lim

Gurdip Singh Sidhu

Harvey Duc Vo

Helge Muenkel

Henry Ting

Herry Cho

Hien Vu

Hong Teong Goh

Igor Bylinin

Jaclyn Yeo

Jacqueline Lam

Jasmine Karimi

Jeanna Loe

Jeffery Tan

Jeremy Goon

Ji H. Kim

Jirasak Latada

Jo Ann Eala

John Alexander Gregorio

John Gao

Jolyn Ho

Jonathan Yang

Joyce Lai

Julian Chenoweth

Julian Chin

Karen Wong

Karim Es-Said

Kasem Watanachai

Kay Pang

Kiran Sandhu

Kristian Nico Calugay Acosta

Ku Kok Peng

Kwek Pei Xuan

Lily Tsen

Lim Sian Choo

Linda Hoon

Lorraine Lee

Low Sai Choy

Lucita Jasmin

Lukáš Zapletal