Southeast Asia 2017
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Director and legal advisor | Kasikornbank
A leading regional financial institution and the fourth largest commercial bank in Thailand, Kasikornbank is a dynamic and demanding place to work as a lawyer. Director and legal advisor Abhijai...
Legal director | Brunei National Petroleum Company
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...
Vice president regional counsel, Africa, Middle East, Asia Pacific | BT Singapore
Alix Grice has held a wide variety of in-house and private practice roles in the Asia Pacific region over 25 years, working at Microsoft, General Motors, Herbert Smith Freehills, Baker...
Director of legal and regulatory | edotco Group
Andrew Gale is one of the few foreign-born corporate counsel based in Myanmar, where he acts as director of legal and regulatory at Asian telecommunications company edotco Group. A subsidiary...
Legal director and general counsel | General Motors Indonesia
Accomplished general counsel Andry Yudistira has over 13 years’ experience as legal counsel, with three years working experience as legal consultant and 10 years as in-house counsel. Experienced in merger...
General manager and head of legal & compliance | Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
Anjali Mohan joined Sumitomo Bank in October 1996 as its first in-house counsel. Following Sumitomo Bank’s merger with Sakura Bank to form Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), Anjali became the...
Corperate counsel and legal manager | Emperador Distillers
Anna Michelle Llovido wears several hats as both corporate secretary for Megaworld Corporation and corporate counsel legal manager for Emperador Distillers. Assuming the latter position for Emperador Distillers in 2012,...
General counsel | Diageo Asia Pacific
Annabel Moore’s route to the position of general counsel at Diageo Asia Pacific was an unconventional one. In 1995 she had joined a small team of in-house lawyers working at...
Chief legal counsel, chief compliance officer and company secretary | Del Monte Pacific
Antonio Ungson serves as the company secretary, chief legal counsel and chief compliance officer at the global food and beverage company Del Monte Pacific. He has also been in charge...
General counsel, Southeast Asia | Bosch Singapore
Coming from an environment where the perception was very much that ‘lawyers belong in a law firm’, and from a family of lawyers all in private practice, moving in-house was...
Legal vice president | Lion Super Indo
The first priority for an incoming GC is to become familiar with the business. Since being appointed as vice president legal at Lion Super Indo. in July 2016 Bambang Triwicaksono...
Head of legal – Asia Pacific | Takeda Pharmaceuticals
Berenice Lim, head of legal Asia Pacific at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, started her career as a scientist. After studying biotechnology at Murdoch University she pursued research in molecular oncology at the...
General counsel | RMA Group
Formerly the managing director of DFDL, Brennan Coleman brought a high-level of leadership experience upon his appointment as RMA Group’s first general counsel. Recognised in the region for being a...
Vice president and associate general counsel, Asia Pacific | Mead Johnson Nutrition
Buchan Love was appointed vice president and associate general counsel at Mead Johnson Nutrition in 2013. He manages a team of six lawyers and oversees all legal matters for the...
General manager, legal | Toyota Motor Asia Pacific
Chan Hoe leads the legal team of six at Toyota Motor Asia Pacific, the regional headquarters in Asia for the marketing and sales functions of the automobile manufacturer. This office...
Regional head group legal wholesale banking and group asset management and investments | CIMB Group
CIMB’s group legal head, Chee Fei Meng, is highly respected and praised by private practice lawyers and industry peers. Recognised as an exceptional leader and a central part of CIMB,...
General counsel wealth management – Asia Pacific | UBS
Christoph Kurth began his legal career in private practice in Switzerland and the US in the area of litigation and arbitration, including class action litigation, working through large disputes in...
General counsel, head of government affairs and data protection offficer | RedMart
Christopher Chan is an entrepreneurial lawyer with 10 years of diversified legal experience with industry expertise in tech, transportation, logistics, media, e-commerce, consumer goods, food and pharmaceuticals. He currently manages...
Senior regional counsel – Asia Pacific operations | British American Tobacco
‘When you move in-house, you are able to get a hands-on and practical understanding of legal issues, something that is rarely experienced in private practice. While previously the profession in...
Head of legal, Asia Pacific | DNV GL
Norwegian-headquartered international certification body and classification society DNV GL has recently undertaken a significant global restructure process that required an understanding of local laws across several countries. In his role...
Associate general counsel, Asia Pacific | Facebook
Damian Yeo currently stands as head of legal and regulatory affairs for Facebook in the Asia Pacific region, which includes the large markets of India and China. As an expert...
Head of legal | Expedia Asia
Over the last three years, the quickly evolving and dynamic digital space has been among the most affected by international regulations. The impact of regulation on the sector has, however,...
General counsel | GuocoLand
Derek Goh joined Singapore-listed property and development company GuocoLand as general counsel in August 2014, leading a team of 13 lawyers across Singapore, China and Malaysia. Since joining the company...
Chief counsel Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa | Aon Hewitt
Diana The, chief counsel for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, is responsible for leading the provision of legal services to the business activities of the professional services firm in...
Chief legal counsel Asia | Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC)
DJ Goh is chief legal counsel for Asia, Middle East and Africa at Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). In his current role, Goh is responsible for legal, contracting, company secretarial and...
Legal and compliance manager | Thalias
Alongside his day-today work as legal and compliance manager for Thalias, Djamel El Akra is dedicated to human rights and academia, serving as a lecturer of law and an avid...
Vice president – legal department and head, corporate advisory services | Filinvest Land Incorporated
As head of corporate advisory services, Elma Christine Leogardo leads the legal function at Filinvest Land Incorporated, one of the leading real estate developers in the Philippines and a subsidiary...
Group head of legal | Bank Mandiri (Persero)
Headquartered in Jakarta, Bank Mandiri is Indonesia’s largest banking institution by assets, loans and deposits. As group head of legal, Eman Suherman is responsible for providing advice regarding all legal...
Director – legal counsel | BNP Paribas
Real estate and capital markets lawyer Eugene Phua assumed his current position as legal head of real estate and supply chain financing, and legal co-head of loan capital markets in...
Group legal counsel | IOI Corporation
Farah Suhanah Binti Ahmad Sarji boasts over 26 years of legal and commercial expertise across the Malaysian and international legal and regulatory sector, as well as the oil and gas,...
General counsel and director, legal, government relations and communications | McDonald’s Singapore
In the wake of increasingly strict quotas on migrant labour, retailers in Singapore have had to change their approach to finding and recruiting staff. For McDonald’s regional general counsel, Faz...
Senior general manager of legal and corporate secretarial affairs | MISC
Fina Norhizah binti Haji Baharu Zaman serves as senior general manager of the legal corporate secretarial affairs of MISC Berhad, Malaysia’s largest international shipping line. She started her legal career...
Group general counsel and head of risk | KNM
Flavio Porro has 17 years’ worth of experience as a corporate lawyer operating in the oil and gas, renewable and power sectors. In particular, Porro is known for his impeccable...
General counsel | PT Hutchison 3 Indonesia
Frederic Brion has worked on many pioneering projects in Southeast Asia throughout his career in the telecommunications sector. During his decade-long tenure as general counsel at his current employer, Hutchison...
General counsel | Delfi
Gerald Chew joined Delfi (then known as Petra Foods), one of the leading players in Southeast Asia’s chocolate confectionery market, in January 2005. A lawyer praised for his professionalism and...
Regional legal director | Heineken Asia Pacific
Geraldine Lim started her tenure at Heineken in 2013 following its acquisition of Asia Pacific Breweries, where she had been employed as general counsel. Lim was closely involved in the...
General counsel, Indonesia | Siemens
Gilang Hermawan joined Siemens in 2009 and currently leads the legal team that is responsible for all legal and regulatory issues of Siemens in Indonesia. In 2014 he transitioned to...
Group general counsel | Axiata Group
Gim Boon Tan’s first in-house role was with Telecom Malaysia International, where he served as head of legal until Axiata was demerged and spun off into a separate listed company...
General counsel, group company secretary and executive vice president, corporate communications and corporate social responsibility | Singapore Press Holdings
Ginney Lim has been with her current employer, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), since 1992. After joining the media organisation as corporate secretary and general counsel, Lim successfully set up the...
Chief corporate secretary and group general counsel | PT Astra International
Gita Tiffany Boer is the chief corporate secretary and group general counsel for PT Astra International, one of Indonesia’s largest conglomerates. The company’s presence in a number of sectors –...
General counsel, chief compliance officer, and corporate secretary | MAXpower Group
MAXpower Group is a Southeast Asian energy holding company with operations in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar and the Middle East and an installed capacity of over 1,000MW of power generation....
Country legal lead | Pfizer
Described as a lawyer who ‘always tries to bring more value than her clients would expect‘, Han Le has had a stellar legal career of two decades. Currently the legal...
Legal manager | PT Pupuk Sriwidjaja Palembang
Handra Pandu became legal manager of PT Pupuk Sriwidjaja Palembang in 2015 and is recognised for his work to modernise and improve the legal department by introducing new and clearer...
Senior director legal and government affairs | Yahoo! Singapore
Singapore-based lawyer Hemant Sharma has over 17 years’ experience operating as an in-house counsel and company secretary. Having been a crucial part of legal teams for the likes of Airtel,...
General counsel, Asia Pacific | GE Power Services
Henry Leong joined GE in 2005 as Asean regional counsel for corporate. He has since served as regional legal counsel for GE’s water and process technologies business covering Asia Pacific...
Chief legal and compliance officer and company secretary | Telekom Malaysia
With operations dating back to 1946, Telekom Malaysia is the leading telecommunications company in Malaysia and is ranked as one of the top 20 companies in the country. When he...
Senior general manager (legal services) | Tenaga Nasional
Izhar bin Ismail has been the senior general manager of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) for the last seven years. He started his career as a litigation lawyer with Messrs Skrine...
Vice president and general counsel, Asia Pacific | Amadeus IT Group
Jackson Pek runs the Thailand legal department of Amadeus IT Group, the world’s leading transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry. A public company created by Air France,...
Vice president, legal and corporate secretariat | SMRT Corporation
Whilst overseeing all legal affairs matters of the local and international business activities for SMRT Corporation, a major public transport operator in Singapore, Jacquelin Tay implemented a comprehensive suite of...
Senior vice president and general counsel, international | GlaxoSmithKline
James Ford, senior vice president and general counsel, international, leads a department of 115 legal professionals based in 37 locations covering China, Japan, India, Australia and all major cities in...
General counsel | Canon Singapore
Janette Loh joined Canon Singapore – a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canon Inc. – in 2009. Canon Singapore operates as the regional headquarters for the group’s sales and marketing operations in...
Legal vice president | Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation
Jannet Cruz-Regalado concurrently occupies the roles of vice president for legal at Shell Philippines and is Royal Dutch Shell’s managing counsel for global litigation, Asia Pacific. Cruz-Regalado is integral to...
General counsel and chief compliance officer | Dymon Asia Capital
Jason Eng joined Dymon Asia, a leading Asia-focused alternative investment management firm, as its first in-house counsel in 2011.Throughout his career, Eng believes he has had the privilege to learn...
Vice president, legal and compliance department | DKSH (Thailand)
Over the three years of his employment with DKSH, Jaturong Jerdsakulboon has utilised his strong leadership skills to build trust with his stakeholders, thus making his team a key function...
Associate general counsel and director of corporate, external and legal affairs – Asia Pacific and Japan | Microsoft
Singapore-based Jeff Bullwinkel has led Microsoft’s Asia Pacific legal operations for the last four years. Responsible for a team of over 75 legal and corporate affairs professionals, Bullwinkel supports Microsoft’s...
Corporate legal head | Wings Indonesia
Jenny Gozali has a wide range of expertise in the retail sector, having worked at leading brands in Indonesia for many years. She is currently corporate head of legal at...
Cluster Legal Director (Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos) | GlaxoSmithKline
Joanna Koh joined GlaxoSmithKline in 2009 as legal counsel for Singapore covering the pharmaceutical business. Since then, she has assumed roles of increasing responsibility and has taken on projects as...
General counsel, corporate secretary and chief compliance officer | Petron
Joel Angelo Cruz has been vice president and general counsel at Petron Corporation since 2013. He joined the company in 2010 and initially served as corporate secretary and compliance officer...
General counsel – Asia | Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets
John Lee assumed his current position as managing director of Macquarie Group’s infrastructure and real assets funds for Asia in 2008. A year after he joined he was deeply involved...
Head of legal, Singapore and Southeast Asia | Nomura Singapore
‘Don’t be afraid to go beyond your comfort zone when you feel it is appropriate – whether it is standing up to your business when you think they are going...
Legal director | Dole Asia
Legal director of Dole Asia for the last six years, Joustine Campaña provides regional legal support to operations in Asia, New Zealand, Australia and the Middle East. He started his...
General counsel | Swire Pacific Offshore
Kenneth Ho was appointed general counsel for Swire Pacific Offshore in 2008. ‘The learning curve has been extremely steep but the past nine years with Swire have been the most...
Group general counsel and managing director | Mapletree INVESTMENTS
After joining Mapletree Investments in 2009, Kwong Weng Wan was asked to build up the legal department at a time when the company was undergoing a dramatic growth phase, expanding...
Head of legal, patents and compliance | Bayer
Vietnam-based Lam Vu Thao is the head of legal, patents and compliance for the Vietnamese entity of multinational pharmaceutical company Bayer. His responsibilities include oversight of legal issues for the...
Group general counsel | CIMB group
As group general counsel of Malaysian universal bank CIMB, Lee Chin Tok covers legal affairs relating to the business and support divisions, as well as at group level, across 17...
Group general counsel and company secretary | Yoma Strategic Holdings
Loo Hwee Fang joined Singapore-based investment holding company Yoma Strategic Holdings in 2013. Yoma is one of the few foreign entities working on large-scale projects in Myanmar, and has received...
Vice president legal and government relations | Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines
As vice president legal and government relations of Pepsi Cola Products Philippines, Manuel is responsible for setting up, maintaining and providing legal advisory services to the whole Philippine operations of...
General counsel | Mercedes-Benz
Mai Tuyen is a highly skilled lawyer with an expertise of 20 years of practicing law in Vietnam, 10 of which were spent in-house. Currently serving as general counsel and...
Head of legal | LINE (Thailand)
An ‘exceptionally gifted’ international lawyer with substantial commercial, transactional and regulatory expertise, Maprang Sombatthai has in excess of 10 years of experience of running the legal affairs of multinational companies...
Senior vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary, chief governance officer, corporate affairs and legal services head | Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT)
Maria Lourdes Rausa-Chan has been senior vice president, corporate secretary of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) since 1998. A commercially savvy lawyer, she is considered a trusted voice in...
Senior legal manager | Kalbe International and PT Bintang Toedjoe
Supporting the activities of the largest listed drug company in both Indonesia and the Asean region, Kalbe International has been both promising and challenging for Maria Teresa Fabiola and her...
Senior vice president, head of legal | SM Investments Corporation
Marianne Malate-Guerrero has been senior vice president and head of legal at SM Investments Corporation (SMIC) for the last 10 years. She started her legal profession in private practice in...
Managing director | Goldman Sachs
Hong Kong-based Matthew Slater has extensive experience advising on deals across Asia and is known as one of the region’s most capable in-house corporate lawyers. He was appointed managing director...
Vice president and general counsel – Asia | Procter & Gamble
Michael Qiu has over 20 years’ worth of experience at Procter & Gamble, one of the world’s foremost fast-moving consumer goods companies. He served as general counsel for China for...
General counsel | CapitaLand
Michelle Koh has been praised for her skills in contract negotiation and ability to plan and influence business strategy. In her role of general counsel at CapitaLand, a leader in...
General counsel, Asia Pacific | Sumitomo Electric Industries
Thailand-based Mitsuaki Kusunoki has enjoyed a hugely successful career working as an intellectual property (IP) lawyer across the Asia Pacific region. She is currently the Asia Pacific general counsel at...
Head of legal and assistant general manager, Asia Pacific (excluding China) | Raiffeisen Bank International
Monisha Kamdar joined Raiffeisen Bank as head of legal-Asia Pacific in 2010. At the time, Kamdar was the bank’s first lawyer in Asia and was responsible as sole regional general...
General legal counsel | Advanced Info Services (AIS)
Advanced Info Services, known as AIS, is the leading mobile operator in Thailand with a customer base of approximately 35 million users. Monthana Wongswangsiri is the current general legal counsel...
Senior group general counsel | UMW Holdings
When Muzafar bin Munzir joined Malaysia-based global industrials company UMW in 2010 he brought 20 years of experience in private practice as both an advocate and solicitor to the role....
Group head of legal | Go-Jek
Nathaniel Mangunsong is senior vice president and group head of legal and compliance for GO-JEK, a mobile technology company which seeks to introduce social change through technology. The company was...
Chief legal officer | Philippine Gold Processing & Refining Corporation
Norman Tiongson is the chief legal officer of Philippine Gold Processing & Refining Corporation (PGPRC), the developer and owner of the process plant on the island of Masbate in the...
Senior vice president and head of legal | Telenor Myanmar
Telenor Myanamar is one of the most prominent telecoms companies in the important sector growth-market of Myanmar. Øivind Burdal, senior vice president and head of legal for the company is...
General counsel | Digi Telecommunications
Described by one nominator as a ‘truly professional lawyer’ with ‘outstanding social skills’, Ola Hanson has received widespread praise for his ability to combine exceptional managerial skills with outstanding technical...
Regional general counsel, Asia Pacific | LafargeHolcim
Patrick McGlinchey assumed the role of regional general counsel Asia Pacific at LafargeHolcim in February 2014. With overall responsibility for all legal and governance matters in Asia Pacific, McGlinchey leads...
Executive vice president legal | B.Grimm Power
A fairly new business, Thailand-based energy company, B. Grimm Power was set up in as a pioneer in the country’s emerging private power generation industry. Currently, B.Grimm Power operates 13...
Business developer and chief legal officer | ENGIE
Peter De Neef was promoted to the role of business developer and chief legal officer in December 2016. He assumed his first in-house role at ENGIE in Dubai in 2008...
General counsel | Bunge asia
Peter Hopp is general counsel, head of legal and government affairs group and a member of the executive committee for Bunge Asia, part of a leading global agribusiness operating in...
Senior legal counsel and managing director | Aircastle
Irish-qualified lawyer Peter Plunkett joined the Dublin offices of Aircastle as senior legal counsel and managing director in 2006, and moved to Singapore in 2012 to develop the company’s Asia...
General counsel, South Asia, East Asia and Oceania | Tetra Pak
Highlighted as being an ‘outstanding lawyer’, René Mario Scherr leads a team of five market lawyers and one paralegal to advise a large geographical region covering the markets of Korea,...
Corporate counsel | Unilever
When Reski Damayanti joined Unilever in January 2016 she became the company’s most senior lawyer in Indonesia. As senior corporate and category counsel director she faces a ‘very dynamic external...
Head of legal and compliance Asia | PartnerRe
Richard Ancrum is head of legal and compliance for Asia at international reinsurance company PartnerRe. He relocated to Singapore in 2016 to further develop his focus on the region, becoming...
General counsel, Asia Pacific | Schroders
Singapore-based Rivkah Mellor-Bessant has primary responsibility for the Asia Pacific legal function at FTSE-listed management house Schroders, where she leads a team of more than 15 derivatives lawyers and legal...
General counsel, Asia Pacific | Dyson
Described as an ‘outstanding’ general counsel with a ‘sharp’ and ‘analytical’ mind, Roland Samosir heads Dyson’s Asia Pacific legal team. Upon joining the company in 2013, he oversaw an impressive...
Head of legal | Royal Golden Eagle (RGE)
With more than 50,000 employees and $15bn in revenue, Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) is one of the leading industrial groups in Southeast Asia. Since Rose Kong joined the group in...
General counsel, Southeast Asia | 3M Singapore
Sadhana Kaul has operated in Singapore for the last three years, where she handles all corporate, commercial and compliance matters across the Southeast Asia region. Leading a team that is...
Legal director, South Asia and Korea | Dell
Sase Karthigesu leads a team of six and provides legal advice to senior management in regards to human resources, marketing, internal sales and operations across a wide variety of contractual...
Senior legal counsel | DuPont
DuPont’s general counsel for Southeast Asia, Serene Lau also functions as a global deputy general counsel of DuPont Titanium Technologies (DTT), and is a key leader in the country management...
Managing director, head of legal for Southeast Asia | Morgan Stanley
A highly skilled financial lawyer, Sok-Theng Cheng boasts over 20 years of international legal experience advising on corporate finance transactions and financial services legal, regulatory and risk management issues. After...
General counsel, corporate secretary, compliance officer and corporate governance group head | Ayala Corporation
Solomon Hermosura is currently managing director of Ayala Corporation and a member of its management committee and the Ayala Group managing committee. Hermosura assumed his role in 2006 and has...
Chief legal officer | Novaland Group
Before assuming his current position at property investment specialist Novaland in September 2016, Son Tran had worked for 15 years in the fast moving consumer goods industry where he handled...
Chief commercial officer and general counsel | Minor International
Widely praised for his skills in mergers and acquisitions and contract negotiations, Stephen Chojnacki currently manages the legal team of Minor International, one of the largest hospitality and leisure companies...
Head of legal | Maxis Berhad
Su Puay Leng was promoted in 2015 to the role of head of legal of Maxis, Malaysia’s leading telecommunications service provider. Prior to her promotion she led major transactions for...
Director for compliance, legal and risk management | Bank Central Asia
Subur Tan has been with Bank Central Asia for three decades, occupying a range of legal, non-legal and managerial positions at the Jakarta headquartered financial institution. Subur Tan first joined...
Senior executive vice president – head of compliance and legal management group | Krungthai Bank
A top 10 company in Thailand and one of the largest financial institutions in the country, Krungthai Bank engages in the provision of commercial banking services and operates through three...
Group general counsel | Sime Darby
Suit Mae Choo has over 25 years of experience as a corporate commercial lawyer, starting her career in private practice in Malaysia before joining the Sime Darby Berhad Group conglomerate...
Executive vice president office of corporate legal | PTT
As the only Thai company listed on the Fortune Global 500 index, Thai state-owned oil and gas company PTT carries high expectations concerning the conduct of its operations and performance...
Group head, legal and general counsel | SapuraKencana Petroleum
Thavakumar Kandiahpillai is general counsel at SapuraKencana, one of Southeast Asia’s largest oilfield services companies and a top 20 company in Malaysia. Having been in charge of the legal department...
General counsel | Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC)
Theresa Low’s appointment as general counsel and company secretary of the Sentosa Development Corporation Group of Companies came after both corporate and private practice roles, spanning from listed company Dairy...
Country legal counsel | Citibank Vietnam
Thuy Minh Lai is the chief administration officer and country legal counsel for the Vietnamese entity of Citibank, which became the first US bank to open in the country in...
General counsel | Agoda
The multi-lingual and diligent general counsel Tom Thomas is the current general counsel of Agoda, a part of The Priceline Group and a world leading online travel and related services...
General counsel | Indosat Ooredoo
A highly skilled in-house counsel with over 14 years of experience both in private practice and in-house, Trisula Dewantara is recognised for possessing a deep understanding of and skills in...
General counsel | Siemens
The major multinational manufacturing and electronics conglomerate, Siemens, has a significant presence in Vietnam that dates back to 1979, when the company supplied two industrial turbines and electrical equipment to...
Country legal head | ABN AMRO Bank Singapore
An experienced lawyer of more than 20 years, Tan assumed her current position in 2010. Joining ABN AMRO Bank post-financial crisis, after its acquisition, break-up and nationalisation, Tan regrouped the...
Associate general counsel | Atlantic Gulf & Pacific Company
Vanessa Villafuerte is the associate general counsel of Atlantic Gulf & Pacific Company (AG&P), a leading infrastructure solutions provider delivering state-of-the-art products and support services to vessels, projects and plants....
Corporate counsel | Chevron International
Vanita Jegathesan is Chevron’s disputes and investigations lead for the downstream business in Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. A litigator by training, she was in private practice working...
General counsel and company secretary | StarHub
Over the course of Veronica Lai’s tenure as general counsel at StarHub, the legal function of the company has grown from three legal professionals into a team of 12 lawyers...
General counsel | Vietinbank Aviva Life Insurance
Viet Nguyen Tien is a Vietnamese legal professional with extensive experience in the country’s insurance sector. Currently serving as general counsel at Vietinbank Aviva Life Insurance, a joint venture between...
Senior executive vice president and head of the general counsel group | Siam Commercial Bank
With over 30 years of experience in banking and financial law, Wallaya Kaewrungruang has a deep understanding of commercial bank operations that provides true value to the legal function of...
Group legal counsel | Gold Coin Group
Xae Hoyy Loh joined Malaysia-based animal feed business Gold Coin Group as group legal counsel in 2015. He was responsible for building the in-house team from scratch and consolidating all...
General counsel | CT Corp Indonesia
A well-respected member of CT Corp’s management team, Zainal Rahman is considered a trusted voice amongst peers in the industry. Zainal Rahman started his professional career as a lease officer...
Southeast Asia is a highly diverse region that has seen major changes in past decades. It is comprised of countries that have significant variability in terms of language, ethnicities and cultures, yet share a somewhat common history and are today increasingly linked by shared business interests.
Propelled by a mix of effective local policies, Southeast Asia has recently delivered impressive economic results, much of which has been due to a shift of workers out of agriculture and an expansion of its labour force. Over time, these factors will disappear and the business community will have to find new ways to increase levels of productivity.
Today, in-house lawyers in Southeast Asia have a remit that extends well beyond the traditional role of legal advisors. They are expected to provide vital input and new strategies for a variety of tasks when conducting business both domestically and internationally. At the same time, many companies are finding that the perspective of their general counsel, who have been trained to analyse issues from an ethical and objective perspective, are ideally positioned to bring unique insight on strategic decisions.
The aim of our GC Powerlist Southeast Asia publication is to shed light on the remarkable achievements of some of the brightest and most ambitious professionals in the regional in-house legal market. Over several months our experienced researchers consulted both law firm partners and in-house counsel, who nominated those corporate counsel who they believe to have provided the most outstanding support and innovative methods of working in the market. Our final list highlights legal leaders, whose work at the forefront of commercial change has been vital in capturing the momentum in the business world.
I would like to express my personal thanks to our sponsors for supporting this publication: Jones Day, Siam Premier, 3 Verulam Buildings, Asia Counsel, Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia, Axiom and Pure Search.
A special mention must also be made for the general counsel that took their time to speak to us throughout the process, and for the research team that worked on this GC Powerlist publication, Boris Dechev and Sara Mageit.
On behalf of Jones Day, we congratulate each of the counsel included in the GC Powerlist Southeast Asia. We have had the pleasure of working alongside many of you, and are truly pleased to see your efforts and skills recognised in this leading forum.
Lawyers in Southeast Asia face many challenges, whether working in-house or in a law firm. While covering multiple jurisdictions and diverse legal systems, counsel must navigate rapidly evolving regulatory regimes and protect against significant political risks, all in a high-pressured and increasingly globalised business environment. With Singapore further developing its role as a financial, trading and innovation centre, and regional economies providing some of the best growth prospects and opportunities in the world, business activity and demands will continue to grow. The role of corporate counsel in steering companies through the challenges to realise opportunities has never been more challenging or important.
At Jones Day, we understand the challenges, unique cultures, and ways of doing business in the different South and Southeast Asian nations. Our Singapore office, which opened in 2001 and comprises more than 35 lawyers, acts as an ideal base for our multilingual team to support our clients across the region. The majority of our partners have been living and working in the region for most of their careers. In recognition of our long-standing commitment to Singapore and deep experience in key practice areas, in 2013 we were one of only a few firms awarded a QFLP licence to practice Singapore law in permitted areas (primarily commercial, corporate and finance).
Importantly, our Singapore office is a fully integrated part of a global law firm serving clients as One Firm Worldwide. Spread across five continents, Jones Day has more than 2,500 lawyers in 44 offices located in major centres of business and finance around the world. Our practices cover the spectrum of transactional, litigation, regulatory, and tax matters facing our clients. When client matters have an interdisciplinary dimension, formidable legal talent across specialties and jurisdictions is available upon command. Jones Day is built on a singular tradition of client service, based on communication and engagement with its clients, and a binding energy, conviction and credibility that comes from shared professional values.
The result? A mutual commitment of, and seamless collaboration by, a true partnership on a client’s behalf, that earned the firm the number one ranking in the BTI Consulting Group’s 2017 “Client Service A-Team” report, based on independent, individual interviews with Fortune 1000 general counsel.
Everyone at Jones Day greatly appreciates our clients recognising the commitment and quality of service we provide to them, and we strongly believe they should also receive recognition for their efforts and successes. Our sponsorship of the GC Powerlist Southeast Asia is testimony of our support.
The partners of Siam Premier are delighted to be involved with the GC Powerlist Southeast Asia. We offer our sincere congratulations to all who have also been recognised in this inaugural Powerlist. Whether you are from a local corporation or an international corporation with a presence in our region, in order to make this regional list each of you will have successfully navigated multiple legal frameworks, cultures and time zones. You will also have been required to develop, implement and monitor robust risk management processes to protect your respective businesses and to participate in the global economy.
We are all witnessing significant change with the rise of China, the exit of Britain from the European Union and the re-examination by the United States of its international role under the Trump presidency. At the same time we are also witnessing much change in our home of Southeast Asia, particularly in the wake of the burgeoning ASEAN Economic Community. In order to survive and prosper from events such as these we must all be flexible and versatile as well as strong and determined. Our firm believes that Southeast Asia is a youthful, growing and increasingly diversified regional economy with strong future prospects. We welcome investment in our region against the background of a changing global landscape.
Legal firms across the globe provide strategic guidance to companies and private clients facing potential and actual legal challenges. We strive to assist our clients by providing options to assist in achieving their goals and by focusing on our performance through continuous improvement, delivered through business excellence and rigorous management. Motivated to provide the best possible access to our services, we have created a strong regional presence in Southeast Asia through our sister firms Lao Premier and Myanmar Premier.
To all those who have been recognised for their achievements, it is indeed a day for celebration and the start of much more to come for Southeast Asia. Even as you are being acknowledged today for your past performance, you are no doubt actively involved in future projects to benefit the region of Southeast Asia. We thank you for your dedication and support to our region and very much look forward to crossing paths again soon.
The partners and team of Asia Counsel Vietnam extend our heartfelt congratulations to all those nominated in the first GC Powerlist Southeast Asia.
Compliance in a rapidly changing legal environment with increasing risks of personal liability, complex transactions management, cross-border engagement in new markets such as Vietnam, dealing with weak, lengthy and often uncertain enforcement procedures are only a few of the areas that are keeping corporate counsel on their feet.
The challenges that general counsel and in-house legal practitioners are facing are likewise those that we, as lawyers, strive to respond to and, together with our clients, we continue to tailor our approach to providing our services accordingly.
While Vietnam has made great strides towards improving its legal system in parallel with its impressive economic development, navigating the legal and practical challenges of this investment destination requires unique experience, a commercial yet careful approach to addressing legal needs and a powerful combination of local and international skills and expertise.
Vietnam’s new Law on Investment and new Law on Enterprises which took effect on 1 July 2015 have further improved conditions for foreign companies to invest in the country, whether through the establishment of subsidiaries or by acquiring shares in domestic companies. Overall, the Vietnamese Government continues to simplify and expedite investment procedures and to remove or reduce “conditional” investment sectors striving for a more and more level-playing field between domestic Vietnamese companies, state-owned enterprises and foreign-invested companies through ongoing legal reform.
Vietnam’s leadership remains committed, and is taking active steps, to move forward with the country’s privatisation of state-owned enterprises and 2017 is likely to see substantial divestments in some of the largest SOEs. The Government has initiated the sales processes for the country’s largest breweries and beer distributors, Saigon Beer Corporation (Sabeco) and Hanoi Beer Corporation (Habeco), which have a joint market share of upwards of 60% of domestic beer consumption in the country. A sale of 49% of the country’s sole operating Dung Quat refinery is in the works, as are divestments of Government-held stakes in mobile operator MobiFone. 2016 already saw Japan’s ANA Holdings invest in Vietnam’s national carrier, Vietnam Airlines, and GIC of Singapore becoming a key shareholder in Vietcombank, Vietnam’s largest state-owned bank by revenues.
2017 looks to be an exciting year for Vietnam and for international companies engaging in this market. We look forward to being there for you.
After practicing law together for 26 years, the partners of Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia continue the firm’s legacy of excellence in the fields of Corporate and Special Projects, Intellectual Property, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Mining and Natural Resources/Energy, Infrastructure, Transport and Public Utilities, Taxation, Labour and Employment, Trade, and Telecommunications and ICT.
Consistent with our commitment to our clients and nation building, Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia adheres to the principles of excellence, teamwork, creativity, responsiveness, professionalism, meritocracy and mutual respect. For this, we have been cited and recognised in, among others, AsiaLaw Profiles, World Trademark Review, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, Chambers & Partners Asia-Pacific, Asia IP, Global Legal Experts and Asian Legal Business Philippine Law Awards.
In this issue of GC Powerlist Southeast Asia 2017, Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia expresses its support to the in-house counsel who have been instrumental in the advancement of the legal profession in the Philippines. These in-house counsel are advising the leading multinational companies and conglomerates and are performing multifaceted roles as compliance officers, corporate governance champions and risk managers. They are constantly shaping not only the Philippine economy but, most especially, the lives of Filipinos.
Our experience in working with in-house counsel has been productive and mutually beneficial. Together, we develop the best solutions to address legal problems, from simple to very complex and novel legal issues. We face head on any challenges that test our knowledge and understanding of the intricate Philippine legal environment. Thus, most of the sound business decisions of our clients are shaped through collaboration between the external and in-house counsel as we both aim to add value to companies without sacrificing compliance with myriad Philippine laws, rules and regulations.
Alongside in-house counsel, we keep abreast with new laws that cross international borders. As business transactions become complex and transcend geographical boundaries, we continue to provide innovative and cutting edge solutions to our clients.
We are therefore deeply honoured to be a part of GC Powerlist Southeast Asia 2017 and look forward to a strong and lasting partnership.
Our warmest congratulations to the in-house counsel and the people behind the success of GC Powerlist Southeast Asia 2017!
3 Verulam Buildings is delighted to be involved with The Legal 500’s first GC Powerlist for South-East Asia and warmly congratulates the outstanding General Counsel who have been ackowledged.
3VB is one of the foremost sets of barristers’ chambers in the UK dealing in commercial law. Recognised by the principal legal directories across a wide variety of the fields that make up modern commercial practice, we have over 70 barristers practising nationally and internationally, appearing in courts and arbitration proceedings worldwide.
The Legal 500 was proud to host the third edition of the GC Powerlist: Japan 2025 at the Capitol Hotel Tokyu, honouring the top General Counsel, Chief Legal Officers, Legal Directors, and senior in-house legal professionals operating at the highest level of Japan’s corporate legal landscape. Held in Tokyo, this year’s reception welcomed around 100 of the most respected and senior corporate counsel from across Japan. It was an unrivalled success, and cements Legal 500’s status as the leading force in legal media supporting the achievements of in-house counsel in Japan. The GC Powerlist: Japan 2025 marks the continuation of our commitment to recognising excellence in-house, and this year’s edition represents the most competitive and selective list to date.
Joe Boswell, lead editor of the GC powerlist publication at The Legal 500, opened the evening with an introduction that reflected on the growing prestige of the Japan list. He emphasised how the Powerlist has grown stronger each year, both in scope and quality, making the task of selection more difficult. This year’s honourees emerged from a deeply competitive field, making their recognition even more meaningful.
Boswell extended heartfelt congratulations to all honourees and acknowledged the critical support of key partners and sponsors who made the evening possible. Special thanks were given to Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Morrison Foerster, iManage, JustLegal, and SS&C Intralinks for their generous sponsorship and ongoing collaboration.
In a moment of reflection, Joe paid tribute to Tim Mackey, chief legal officer at SoftBank, who sadly passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. Tim had contributed to the Powerlist in each of its three editions and was known not only for his exceptional legal acumen but also for his warmth and generosity.
The evening featured insightful remarks from distinguished speakers representing our partners and the broader legal community: Mischa Mulligan, Japan Director at SS&C Intralinks; Hiroki Kodate, Partner and Management Committee Member at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune; Jeremy White, Global Co-Chair of M&A for Morrison Foerster; and, representing those awarded in the Powerlist, Naoki Hamada, General Counsel for Japan at HSBC.
Each speaker provided reflections on legal innovation, leadership, and the evolving role of in-house counsel in Japan’s corporate landscape. Their remarks added valuable context to the achievements celebrated throughout the evening.
The formal awards segment celebrated this year’s GC Powerlist honourees. With assistance from long-time collaborator Isaac Uchiyama who read out awardees’ names, recipients were invited to collect their certificates, pose for photographs, and be formally recognised by their peers.
Certificates were presented on stage by Hiroki Kodate or Anderson Mori & Tomotsune and Jeremy White of Morrison Foerster, whose participation further underlined the deep support of the Japanese and international legal communities.
The GC Powerlist: Japan 2025 reception reaffirmed Legal 500’s commitment to spotlighting the very best of in-house legal talent. With record levels of interest and unmatched quality among candidates, the Japan edition continues to solidify its place as one of the most respected publications in the global GC Powerlist series.
We extend our sincere congratulations to all honourees and thank our partners, sponsors, and speakers for making the evening a success.
We look forward to returning to Tokyo again next year. As a parting gift, you can view Naoki Hamada’s excellent keynote address below, where he touches on a lot of issues and themes that many other GC, whatever country they operate in, will recognise:
‘Good evening, everyone. I am Naoki Hamada of HSBC. I am very pleased to be here speaking to you today. It is a great pleasure and honor, and at the same time, I feel a bit overwhelmed being surrounded by the busiest and most expensive lawyers in the industry—even if I know that nobody will be charging us for their time. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Legal 500 for organizing such a great event, and Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Morrison Foerster, iManage, SS&C Intralinks, and Just Legal for sponsoring and supporting it. And, huge congratulations on the recognition each of you is receiving, which is truly a great accomplishment and the result of your hard work and the accumulated trust the entire industry has placed in you.
It must be emphasized that this award is given only to general counsels. Being a general counsel means a lot more than just being a subject matter expert. You are a most reliable strategic partner for the business, and I am sure that you have distinguished yourself from the crowd by your ability to identify underlying risks, devise legal solutions, ensure the right processes and governance for corporate decisions, influence others, and educate the next generation of lawyers. This is what you are being recognized for.
Looking back on my career, I have been hugely helped by lawyers in other companies through various industry communities. When I joined the in-house world 12 years ago from a Japanese law firm, large international banks were all struggling with a huge wave of regulatory reform. Back then, I was relatively new to that particular area of finance, and my hiring was somewhat potential-based. Nonetheless, I was assigned to lead the regulatory reform efforts locally. My predecessor had left the bank before I joined, there was no sufficient handover, and I was completely lost as to what to do. What helped me most were the industry peer group discussions, where in-house counsels from major banks would get together to discuss common issues. I learned so much from what was discussed there and absorbed as much as I could. Without that network, I am sure that I wouldn’t have survived that time.
However, our situation today is far more difficult. The changes in the landscape we face today are unprecedented. Technological developments and the corresponding shifts in geopolitical and industrial landscapes are completely unpredictable, and the speed at which they happen is far faster than before. We might face a time that requires us to pivot, forcing us to redefine how we add value and rebuild the way we work. That is somewhat intimidating. But, I am confident that a way forward will be found through the collective wisdom and effort of the people in this room. I would like to be a part of that, and this network of people is enormously valuable and truly priceless.
Finally, let’s have a drink and celebrate our achievements for now – before your CEO calls asking you to join a call! Thank you so much.’
