Team size: 25 

In an increasingly complex global environment, how are you helping your organisation navigate risk while still supporting growth?

G4S is a company well-known for operating in challenging environments. Our Asia & Middle East region covers 22 markets, ranging from mature common law jurisdictions like Hong Kong and Singapore to emerging markets such as Lebanon, Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea. Commercial opportunities exist everywhere we operate, but the risks are not uniform. When finding solutions that actually work locally, our team members on the ground are usually best positioned to understand both the details and context. I try to empower our Heads of Legal and local managers to achieve commercial outcomes, while ensuring that risks can be aired and escalated freely.

How has the role of General Counsel evolved in recent years, and where do you see GCs creating the most value today?

GCs create the most value today by shaping company culture, not just drafting rules. Instead of policing every decision, the focus needs to be on embedding strong values, clear expectations of conduct and a culture of achievement. I want our leaders and legal team members to know what ‘good’ looks like, and then give them the necessary backing to achieve it.

How has AI changed the legal function recently (including in the past year), and how are you approaching it within your team?

We are a large enterprise customer of Google, and we are fortunate to have the latest Gemini models embedded into our tech stack. It is already increasing the efficiency, quality and consistency of our legal work. Our team is already using Gemini for contract reviews and drafting, and we are starting to use agentic AI for specific tasks. This allows our lawyers to focus more on strategic advice and complex problem-solving. An often underrated benefit of AI has been its ability to help bridge language barriers, which is highly relevant in our diverse region.

How do you build and maintain a strong legal team?

Talent retention can be particularly tough in Asia. Good talent will always have opportunities in this marketplace. My approach is simple: hire smart people and empower them. People spend a huge part of their lives at work. If their interactions with their managers aren’t positive – if they don’t feel supported and valued – the best ones will walk out the door. I try to ensure that our legal team members find purpose, challenge, balance, support and development in their roles. We have been successful at retaining our legal talent and promoting from within when vacancies arise.