Switzerland
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Chief regional counsel EMEA and EMEA-based businesses | BD Switzerland Sarl
General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Citi Switzerland / Legal Cluster Head, Citi Switzerland, Monaco & Liechtenstein | Citigroup
 Chief legal officer and corporate secretary | Kuehne + Nagel International
General counsel and chief compliance officer | Burckhardt Compression
Senior vie president, group general counsel and chief compliance officer and member of the executive committee | SGS Société Générale de Surveillance
Group general counsel and company secretary | Chain IQ GroupÂ
Director of legal and policy/General counsel | European Broadcasting Union
Chief legal, compliance and sustainability officer and executive board member | Swaroski International
Chief legal officer, company secretary, head of corporate affairs and member of the executive committee | Medmix Group
Chief legal and corporate affairs officer, member of the executive committee | Lonza Group
Group general counsel, compliance officer and company secretary | Sonova International
General counsel EMEA | Honeywell Products and Solutions Sarl
Vice president and general counsel, group commercial. | gategroup
Group general counsel, chief compliance officer and secretary of the board of directors | Rieter
On Tuesday 23rd June, Legal 500 returned to Tokyo to launch the GC Powerlist: Japan 2026, in partnership with AMT, Morrison Foerster and Just Legal.
This year’s Powerlisters gathered at the Roppongi Hills Club for an evening of celebration, set against scenic views over the city. Leading in-house counsel from across the country came together in recognition of the vital role GCs play in today’s legal landscape, and to mark their achievements over the past year.
The evening opened with a welcome address from Isabel Caine, editor – corporate counsel at Legal 500, who spoke about the increasingly multi-faceted role of in-house counsel and how the modern GC is called upon to act as legal adviser, business partner and risk manager.
Ryu Umezu, co-managing partner at AMT, then took to the stage to congratulate nominees. In a nod to Japan’s recent World Cup success, he compared the position of in-house counsel to that of football manager, highlighting how legal teams guide their organisations through periods of uncertainty to successful outcomes.
Jeremy White, co-head of Morrison Foerster’s Asia M&A/PE practice, closed out the evening’s speeches. Focusing on the excellence in the room, he spoke to the qualities that distinguish the modern GC – and this year’s Powerlisters.
The certificate presentation then began, with honourees taking to the stage to collect their award and have their official photograph taken. Umezu was joined by Keiko Kaneko, chair of AMT’s management committee, to present the first half of the certificates, before Morrison Foerster partners Adam Harris and Takahiro Nonaka took over for the second half of the presentation.
The evening then gave way to lively conversation, providing attendees with ample opportunity to network and exchange ideas and experiences.
Legal 500 would once again like to thank AMT, Morrison Foerster and Just Legal for partnering with us to bring this event to life and congratulate all those who were included in the GC Powerlist: Japan 2026.
