What are the most significant cases, projects and/or transactions that you and/or your legal team have recently been involved in?

One of the most significant legal engagements our team recently led was the EPC contract negotiation for our high-value factory project in Singapore. The project involves the construction of a two-storey, single-user manufacturing facility. The EPC contract was structured in two phases – design and construction.

Our legal team played a pivotal role in transitioning from a general contractor model to a full EPC framework, ensuring that the contractor assumes comprehensive responsibility for both design and construction. We also managed internal approvals, coordinated board resolutions, and oversaw the formal Letter of Award.

This project showcases our strategic legal oversight in a complex, cross-functional transaction. It required not only sound legal acumen but also cross-departmental collaboration and project management discipline. Our involvement from concept to contract execution ensured that the business was protected from a risk, compliance, and performance perspective, while enabling operational efficiency and commercial clarity.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

During periods of instability or crisis, we take a proactive legal approach—anticipating potential risks before they materialise. We embed Legal into cross-functional crisis teams from the outset, ensuring we are not merely advisors but active contributors to business continuity.

Rather than simply flagging risks, we focus on enabling solutions. Our role is to help the business move forward confidently, even in challenging environments. That means translating legal complexity into clear, actionable guidance that supports decision-making under pressure.

Speed is critical. We leverage AI tools to accelerate contract reviews, regulatory assessments, and stakeholder communications—allowing us to respond faster and more precisely. This agility helps the organisation stay ahead of disruptions and maintain operational resilience.

Ultimately, our goal is to be a strategic partner—collaborating across functions, communicating clearly, and acting swiftly to protect the business while enabling it to adapt and thrive.

What do you think are the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel to possess?

A modern in-house counsel must be a proactive innovator—embracing AI and digital tools to transform legal operations. Rather than waiting for change, they should lead it by digitising and automating departmental processes wherever possible, and by championing technologies that enhance speed, accuracy, and scalability.

Experience and sound legal judgement remain essential, especially when evaluating AI-generated outputs. The ability to validate and apply these results with confidence ensures that innovation supports—not compromises—quality.

Efficiency is another key attribute. In-house counsel must be faster and more responsive than external advisors and internal departments. This means streamlining workflows, automating routine tasks, and delivering clear, solution-oriented advice that enables business decisions—rather than delaying them.

Ultimately, the modern legal function is not a silo but a strategic partner. Success depends on collaboration, agility, and a mindset that sees Legal as an enabler of progress, particularly in complex and fast-moving environments.

What do you think is the greatest innovation you have enacted in the past year?

The greatest innovation we have enacted in the past year is the strategic expansion of our Legal Hub in the Philippines. By increasing its scope and responsibilities, we have transformed it into a regional centre of excellence supporting contract management and operational legal tasks across multiple jurisdictions. This shift has enabled us to deliver faster and more consistent support to the business.

In parallel, we have taken a leading role in deploying our contract analytics tool. As front-runners in this initiative, we have helped to expand its functionality to meet real-world legal needs—automating risk flagging, clause comparison, and redlining of customer contracts. This has significantly improved turnaround times and reduced manual effort, allowing our team to focus on more strategic matters.

Together, these innovations reflect our commitment to digitisation, efficiency, and regional empowerment—positioning Legal not merely as a support function, but as a proactive business enabler.