About

Adrian Wong is legal director for the Brunei National Petroleum Company, known as PetroleumBRUNEI and its various subsidiaries and joint ventures and a member of the executive management committee of the company. Wong was appointed as the company’s first legal director 11 years ago and is recognised for his work establishing processes and guidelines to ensure the legal function contributes to strong corporate governance. Wong has been closely involved with negotiation and conclusion of petroleum mining agreements, including commercial arrangement for the important CA1 and CA2 offshore oil assets. His biggest contribution, however, has been to implement a change of mindset within the legal team, helping to evolve from a strict check on legal requirements to one that considers commercial and practical risks in to inform corporate strategy. Wong says that ‘enforcing the laws and respecting the legal system depends not only on how approachable or credible you are as a lawyer, but requires a human touch that [makes your role] transcend beyond that of a “respected professional”’. Wong has led by example by acting in a non-legal role in various aspects of the business, particularly on leading the exploration and production funding processes for the company’s expansion into international upstream ventures.