What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?
As a legal department for an international conglomerate, our responsibilities go above and beyond our role legal support, we have actively supported our company in their ESG initiatives, especially last year when we initiated a nature-based carbon sequestration initiative, which was the first in Malaysia. Pioneering this initiative involved various structural and framework challenges due to the complexity of the task and lack of precedent. We are proud of our contribution which led to the recent acceptance of Malaysia’s Carbon Study Permit.

Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?
I identified numerous repetitive and time-consuming tasks that I automated. Our legal team created legal workflows and used automation tools and custom macros to automate document assembly, contract review, legal research and other routine processes. This has effectively increased our efficiency and freed up valuable time to focus on more high-value work.

What are some of your main tips for dealing with a crisis?
It is important to stay calm and project the same calmness to others, building on this you should always speak evenly and firmly to show control of the situation. When dealing with a crisis you must identify and gather as much information about the situation as possible and break down the details of the crisis into manageable parts to make it easy to evaluate. Finally, prepare scenarios and solutions to deal with the crisis in the most efficient and effective way.

How do you see the general counsel role evolving in Malaysia over the next five-ten years?
I expect that the rapid advancement of AI tools will one day take over a large amount of the work in legal departments. Therefore, I believe that the general counsel will be freed from the daily hassle of routine legal issues. General counsels will also need to take into account geopolitical considerations, due to the rapid realignment of major powers and increased regional cooperation and will primarily be asked to identify and advise companies on such risks. Similarly, climate change and ESG issues will require new approaches when handling legal issues facing companies.

How important is choosing to work with external lawyers who align with your company’s values? Are you likely to reconsider what firms you work with based on this?
I view external lawyers as professionals, and when choosing to work with them, I choose on merit, based on their qualifications and skills.

Looking forward, what technological advancements do you feel will impact the role of in-house legal teams in the future the most? Which have you found most useful in your legal team?
I am currently studying Artificial Intelligence and considering utilising it in some roles of the legal department in the future, but we are yet to implement it on a large scale.

In general, what would you like to see change about the external law firms you use? Examples could be greater flexibility in billing, a more expansive suite of services offered, more transparency in reporting ESG statistics etc.
I am comfortable with our business and how things are at the moment, and I do not have any significant changes that I would like to see.

As we enter the next decade, what skills will a corporate legal team need to succeed in the modern in-house industry?
I believe that corporate legal teams will need the ability to adapt to new technologies and trends if they wish to be successful in the modern in-house industry.

How do you suggest in-house lawyers build strong relationships with business partners?
To remain effective and build strong relationships, I believe that in-house lawyers need to engage very closely with their business partners. This will allow them to fully understand the nature of the business and any changes going forward.

What are some of the main legislative or regulatory changes that have impacted you?
The main changes that have impacted us a company have been changes in environmental regulations and laws, which are aimed at battling climate change.