About

When discussing his career, it is clear that Oliver Khaw has enjoyed an extremely rewarding experience virtually throughout the almost 22 years he has had as a lawyer. ‘I don’t think I can narrow down to particular any highlights. I am where I am today because of the challenges that I have faced over the past 20 odd years both in private practice and in-house. Every single moment is a learning experience that shapes the way I view challenges, whether these changes are drastic or subtle’. In terms of the general lessons he has taken on board that have moulded him into a successful senior lawyer, he is able to provide some key insight: ‘The key changes that have made me who I am today as an effective legal professional can however be narrowed down to the removal of emotion from key legal decision making process which allows due consideration of all factors, effective communication that strips away distraction, and never betraying the trust that has been given to me’. Khaw’s tenure with coal producer PT Bayan Resources Tbk stretches back to late 2008, and he has enjoyed a large number of notable successes in the period since. Just some of these include the acquisition of nine coal mining companies in Indonesia and the injection of those companies into an ASX-listed public company resulting in a takeover of that public company, and working on the first case to be heard by the newly minted Singapore International Commercial Court defending Bayan against a claim of contractual breach.