What are the most significant cases or transactions that the legal team has recently been involved in?

The global legal department is committed to our vision of driving innovation and accelerating growth. Our key strategic priority is the optimisation of our organisation to ensure we can anticipate business needs and exceed expectations at the point of impact. To this end, we established our first legal and compliance department in the APAC region to support growing business needs. The function regularly anticipates business needs, creates sustainable and competitive advantage and mitigates risk.

The legal team has been involved in significant projects, including establishing corporate compliance programmes to ensure that the company follows all applicable regulations and appropriate procedures in healthcare, sponsorship and collaboration. We have also developed trackers to measure the effectiveness of these policies. We have also established a contract management system to drive capability and support business growth.

How do you suggest in-house lawyers build strong relationships with business partners?

First, getting to know your business stakeholders and understanding what success means for them and how they contribute to it is essential. Make time for your internal clients, the executives in charge of your support business units, and their teams. The ‘boots on the ground’ know the business and what customers want.

Learn about your company’s industry, the businesses, the organisation’s model and financial metrics. Learning about your company’s business is essential in approaching legal work and credibility with your business stakeholders.

As we enter the next decade, what skills will a corporate legal team need to succeed in the modern in-house industry?

The ability to operate effectively in international business settings with sensitivity to cultural differences in business and professional activities. Strong interpersonal and communication skills and humility and humour will be essential to succeed in the modern in-house industry.