Team size: 12
Key team members: Jeffery Tan, Lau Jo Yen, Ong Yee Yen, Rachel Tang

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

Some of the significant transactions that the team has been involved in include, the sale and leaseback transaction of Cycle & Carriage Singapore’s Singapore properties which generated approximately US$23m in capital. Second, we have entered a strategic partnership with Carro that aims to redefine the used car and aftersales segments within the automotive retail industry. Finally, the team successfully concluded an unconditional voluntary takeover bid for shares in Cycle & Carriage Bintang, a company listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities.

We are also currently involved in ongoing strategic work in respect to JC&C investee companies. JC&C serves as the investment holding company for the Jardine Matheson Group (“Jardines”) in the Southeast Asian region and holds interests in various entities, including Astra in Indonesia, THACO in Vietnam, Refrigeration Electrical Engineering Corporation in Vietnam, Vinamilk in Vietnam; Siam City Cement across Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Bangladesh, and finally JC&C’s Direct Motor Interest division, which comprises an extensive dealership network facilitated by Cycle & Carriage businesses in Singapore, Malaysia, and Myanmar, as well as Tunas Ridean in Indonesia.

LCAD members actively engage with and advise on legal, business, and strategic matters related to the mentioned investments, along with potential future investment opportunities.

Can you sum up the team culture or ethos?

By utilising the available resources and through active communication, project interaction, and sharing of information and assets, the team is able to strengthen and accelerate its connections with internal business units, as well as with JC&C’s affiliated companies, subsidiaries, and associates across multiple jurisdictions. The team’s collegial and collaborative culture empowers its members to be entrepreneurial and to provide innovative and pragmatic solutions to commercial issues.

Apart from legal matters, has the team worked on other company initiatives?

Jeffery holds multiple key roles at JC&C, serving as not only the group general counsel but also as the chief sustainability officer, director of legal and corporate affairs, and company secretary. Consequently, Jeffery’s responsibilities extend beyond legal matters to encompass JC&C’s compliance, company secretarial duties, sustainability matters, communications, and public affairs. Furthermore, Jeffery also serves as the CEO and company secretary of MINDSET. The legal are actively involved in all of these various areas which transcend their traditional legal duties thus allowing the legal team to be recognised as valuable business partners within the Group.

Our team contributes to four major areas outside of their traditional legal role. Firstly, sustainability, our team works closely with JC&C’s ESG and Sustainable Development department to drive sustainability initiatives. Some LCAD members participate in JC&C’s Sustainability Committee meetings, responsible for planning group-wide initiatives and setting goals. Others are part of the Sustainability Working Group to implement strategies, monitor trends, and discuss issues.

Secondly, the team handles JC&C’s public relations, corporate communications, sustainability reporting, and investor relations. They also serve as communications advisors to JC&C’s subsidiaries.

Furthermore, the team play key roles in Mindset, Jardine’s mental health charity in Singapore. Two members lead the MINDSET program, while others provide pro-bono administrative, legal, and communications support. MINDSET has received recognition, including the 2022 Charity Governance and Transparency Awards from the Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth.

Finally, the team also contributes in a ‘group secretariat’ role. The team manages accounting and corporate secretariat matters for JC&C and other Jardines companies in Singapore.