Team size: Four 

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

As you may know, I transitioned at the end of this fiscal year from my previous role as Lead Country Counsel for the Philippines. Prior to my departure, however, our most significant project was establishing a local entity to support our plan to grow our domestic business. This was truly important to me not just as a lawyer for Accenture, but as a Filipino, because it recognises the Philippines as an emerging and important economic player in Southeast Asia. It makes me proud to be part of contributing to nation-building. This was a huge effort involving not just Legal but all facets of the business. It was not as simple as incorporating a new entity; it involved convincing global stakeholders that the Philippines was a strong enough market to warrant the investment and effort of setting up a new entity. After the set-up of the new entity, the next order of business was helping the organisation forge relationships with local clients. This was an exciting time for me because, in my first 12 years at Accenture, we had not really focused on engaging with local companies. It made me dust off and brush up on my contracting skills, and I realised I had missed the cut and thrust of business negotiations.

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

Legal, as a function, has a responsibility to the company to remain relevant to the business — to stay abreast of all pertinent legislation impacting it, as well as geopolitical events that will shape the business climate. These days, Legal should no longer rest on the traditional “adviser” role but rather be an active business partner. This is particularly crucial in periods of mass change, crises, or instability, when the business will need to rely on Legal for agile and forward-thinking analyses.

Legal needs to be proactive in monitoring business trends and anticipating how governments may respond through regulation and legislation, rather than being reactive and waiting passively until the changes are already in place. Legal should help the business future-proof itself by advising on how it should prepare for possible legislation and regulation, so that it can plan ahead instead of struggling to retrofit in order to catch up with compliance.

General counsel often speak of the need to be strategic to reach the pinnacle of the profession. What does being strategic mean to you?    

In my experience, being strategic as a leader means working hard to mentor and build a deep bench of successors, with the ultimate goal of making oneself redundant by cultivating and developing talent, and by creating processes that can adapt to future developments and remain relevant. To me, leaders should discard the “rockstar” mentality. Instead, they should always aim to build a legacy and empower strong, cohesive teams that can, in essence, take over from them when the time comes to move on.

Secondly, being strategic means keeping your ear to the ground – staying abreast of geopolitical, legislative, technological, and social developments that will impact your particular industry. After all, how can one support a business if you do not understand how the company works or how it exists within the wider ecosystem?

Lastly, being strategic means being open to feedback, suggestions, and the fact that no one knows everything. Every new thing we learn can only increase our effectiveness and enhance the way we contribute to our organisations with the ‘big picture’ in mind – How does the company want to grow? And as Legal, how will you help shape this growth? It is never too early to start preparing for growth by acquiring as much context and information as possible.

What strategies do you employ to ensure the successful digital transformation of a legal department while maintaining compliance with your country’s data protection laws?  

My philosophy for ensuring the balance between technological advancement and data privacy compliance is essentially anchored on three principles.

First, building data privacy into the initial design of any technological tool from inception – what we refer to as ‘Privacy by Design.’ Keeping in mind the regulations we need to comply with from the very start of creating new tools allows us to anticipate potential issues and address them before they become problems. Principles and best practices for data privacy should be embedded into the blueprint of any tool so that we ensure compliance from the outset, rather than struggling to fix problems as and when they arise – which is not only risky from a compliance and reputational perspective but also costly in terms of time and money.

Second, continuing education is key. Legislation changes and evolves as the concepts of data privacy rights become more sophisticated. The only way to ensure compliance is to remain constantly vigilant about changes in practice and law, and to learn continuously – regularly updating and training our people and organisations when changes occur, or refreshing knowledge even when the laws remain temporarily static.

Lastly, adopt a top-to-bottom approach. Ensure that everyone in the organisation, from the most junior employee to the C-suite, is updated and trained on data privacy and developments in the data protection space. Emphasise that data privacy compliance is a shared responsibility across the organisation, not just that of the privacy or compliance teams.

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

The most important attribute of a modern, effective, and ‘good’ in-house counsel is the willingness and openness to learn. Never rest on your laurels, because the law, society, and circumstances are in a constant state of flux. You cannot assume that you already know everything or that you have learned all there is to know about everything. There is always something new to learn, there is always someone who knows more than you, and you cannot be the expert in everything.

Secondly, a modern in-house counsel should be agile – able to pivot and adjust their strategy when unforeseen events occur. Do not be so wedded to a point of view that you cannot take feedback or react effectively when your original premise or assumptions prove to be wrong.

Lastly, adopt a ‘business partner’ mindset rather than sitting in an ivory tower handing out opinions. Be creative. Be solution-oriented and always strive to help the business achieve its goals – while, of course, remaining legally compliant – through new approaches or ways of solving issues that may not always be tried and tested. Do not be 100% risk-averse. The law itself is not set in stone; this is why we deal with so many amendments and changes. If the law itself can evolve, why can’t we? Sometimes it takes the private sector pushing the envelope for legislators to change the law. But if we always fall back on the guaranteed, safe route, there will be neither change nor growth.

What is a cause, business or otherwise, that you are passionate about? Why is this?  

I am a very passionate advocate for inclusion and diversity, particularly for women and people with disabilities. I often tell the story of how I became a women’s rights activist at the ripe old age of eight, when my second-grade teacher told me that only my male classmates could run for class president and that I should be the class secretary or class belle instead. As a woman in a male-dominated field within a very traditional culture that remains, to a large extent, patriarchal – and as the mother of two daughters – I want to work towards a world where gender becomes irrelevant, and every person is given the opportunity to succeed, to learn, to grow, and to be recognised for their accomplishments and abilities rather than their gender. When I speak at International Women’s Day events, I always say that my dream is for International Women’s Day to no longer need to be celebrated — because we would have achieved equality, and there would no longer be a need for a special day to promote our cause.

In 2022, I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, which in the Philippines is legally recognised as a disability. Suddenly joining the ranks of ‘Persons with Disabilities’ opened my eyes to the difficulties and challenges faced by people with disabilities. During my treatment journey, I was told that someone like me, at stage 4, had only a 15–25% chance of surviving the next five years. Yet I realised that these statistics were not simply due to a lack of cures or treatments, but rather because the cost of healthcare was so prohibitive that most people could not afford the treatment that might extend their lives. I began to delve deeper into not just healthcare, but also the scarcity of employment opportunities for people with disabilities – and even the daily challenges of navigating a world designed for the ordinary, non-disabled person.