Your name:                        Sonia Chan

Your job title:                   General Counsel and Company Secretary

Your company’s name:        China Gas Holdings Limited (Stock Code: 384)

Career Biography

As General Counsel and Company Secretary of China Gas, Sonia leads the legal and company secretarial functions, serving as a strategic guardian of governance and compliance. She mitigates legal risks, fosters transparent stakeholder engagement, and embeds robust legal frameworks that underpin sustainable, long-term business growth.

With nearly two decades of experience, she has cultivated a distinguished career advising on complex cross-border transactions, corporate governance, and regulatory compliance across diverse industries, including energy, finance, logistics, and professional services.

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

In today’s volatile global environment, risk management is no longer about erecting defensive barriers, but about constructing resilient frameworks that transform uncertainty into commercial advantage. In the capital-intensive oil and gas sector, expansion must be carefully balanced with uncompromising adherence to statutory obligations.

As General Counsel of a PRC company whose shares are listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, I guide the organisation through regulatory tightening, global economic headwinds, and technological disruption with a legal function that is both vigilant and visionary. By embedding anticipatory compliance and principled governance into enterprise strategy, we integrate legal foresight into capital markets transactions, infrastructure investments, complex financing arrangements, and joint ventures. Crucially, the legal function is involved at the earliest stages of corporate planning, enabling us to identify liabilities and structural vulnerabilities proactively before capital is committed. This approach ensures that growth initiatives remain legally sound, strategically resilient, and executed with confidence and responsibility.

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

The role of General Counsel has evolved from a narrowly focused gatekeeping function into a key pillar of corporate leadership. The modern GC is not only a custodian of compliance but also a contributor to organisational growth, translating complex regulatory landscapes into actionable strategies that strengthen corporate resilience and innovation. Boards and executives increasingly rely on GCs to anticipate emerging risks, champion governance transparency, and integrate ethical conduct into enterprise frameworks. The greatest value lies at the intersection of governance, capital markets strength, and strategic development, where legal foresight protects corporate reputation, sustains shareholder trust, and aligns growth with ESG imperatives. By shaping corporate culture and enabling responsible expansion, modern GCs help organisations navigate uncertainty with confidence and integrity.

<strong>What does effective leadership look like for a General Counsel today, and where do GCs have the most impact?</strong>

Effective leadership for a General Counsel today requires balancing technical expertise with the ability to foster collaboration across the organisation. The GC’s impact lies in translating complex regulatory demands into clear strategies that support sustainable growth, while nurturing a culture of integrity and accountability. Leadership involves building capable, commercially aware legal teams, mentoring future talent, and ensuring that the legal function is recognised as a trusted partner in corporate decision-making. Externally, it means maintaining transparent relationships with regulators; internally, it positions governance and risk management as catalysts for innovation, safeguarding reputation and strengthening long-term organisational resilience.