Legal and compliance | Panasonic Appliances Air-Conditioning Malaysia
Ming Hong Tan
Legal and compliance | Panasonic Appliances Air-Conditioning Malaysia
What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?
Being the second line of defence, we work tirelessly with business units across multiple functions every day, be it corporate planning, finance, human resources, IT, production, supply chain and sales. It is crucial that we avoid risks, considering the nature of the business where the company produces products that are exported to more than 100 countries around the world. Protecting the business has become second nature to us as we apply our legal and compliance knowledge to keep the company on top of ever-changing regulatory requirements around the globe.
My team has been making improvements to our IT system to enhance contract management and compliance within the company. We enabled our internal stakeholders to obtain information, understand and apply company policies and rules in an easy to understand manner.
What are some of your main tips for dealing with a crisis?
I believe that you must always be aware of the risk of a crisis and be prepared for an emergency response. Companies should implement regular briefing and education of employees on crisis preparedness, have a response team, define their roles and responsibilities, conducts drills, and when a crisis arises, you must have formulated response not just a reaction. These are all parts of our risk management and business continuity plan.
How do you see the general counsel role evolving in Malaysia over the next five-ten years?
General counsels are hired to add value to the company. Our role goes beyond that of a lawyer. We are a strategic business partner, offering not only legal advice, but complementing businesses in achieving their goals and objectives. Businesspeople are made to take risks therefore we cannot say ‘no’ to them all the time, we must always offer solutions. At the same time, general counsel will be the conscience of upholding the company in ethics and compliance to drive the business forward in achieving sustainability. We will have a say in decision making.
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?
It is fundamental to work with external counsel that aligns with my company’s values. My employer has a clear basic business philosophy that doing business is not only to make a profit but also a multitude of dimensions, such as contribution to society, justice and honesty, adaptability, tireless pursuit of improvement, courtesy and humility. I am happy to say that the lawyers I work with uphold these ethics and align with our values.
Tan Ming Hong has spent 15 years as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya, handling dispute resolution matters from the first instance court to the supreme court of appeal and arbitration. Additionally, she has gained extensive exposure in handling commercial transactions, corporate exercises, high value stocks and asset disposals and acquisitions. While in practice, she served clients from different backgrounds and industries for over a decade. This has given her extensive experience in managing, handling and resolving various issues, which proved to be important as she progressed in her career.