Thailand 2025
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Department head: international legal and intellectual property | Boon Rawd Brewery
General counsel and assistant general manager | Isuzu Motors Asia Thailand
HomeCare Greater Asia general counsel and general counsel Thailand | Unilever Thai Trading
Department manager, legal department | Ajinomoto Thailand
Executive vice president, head of compliance | Siam Commercial Bank
Assistant vice president, office of legal affairs | Thai Beverage
Vice president and head of legal | TCC Assets Thailand
Executive vice president, legal and international projects | Thoresen Group
Head of business laws counselling | Asset World Corporation
Senior vice president, office of corporate legal | Global Power Synergy
General counsel, head of legal, legal department | Citibank Bangkok Branch
Senior vice president, chief corporate and legal affairs officer | Amadeus
Vice chairman and chief executive officer | Super Energy Corporation
Head of legal, compliance and risk management APAC | Limagrain Thailand
Director, legal and compliance | Pandora Production Company
Associate vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary | Coca-Cola ThaiNamthip
Associate general counsel, Southeast Asia | Facebook (Thailand)
Deputy head of legal and compliance group | Kiatnakin Phatra Financial Group
Manager, legal and compliance department | Kao Industrial Thailand
Corporate legal director, group legal | Thoresen Thai Agencies
Rising Star
General manager, compliance management and legal | Mercedes-Benz
Senior executive vice president, head legal and compliance | CIMB Thai Bank
Deputy head of division, head of legal department and data protection officer | ICBC
Senior executive vice president, office of general counsel | PTT
Executive vice president, corporate affairs and acting chief corporate management officer | Prime Road Power
Vice president, legal and compliance, company secretary | Major Development
Company secretary and head of legal, compliance and international tax | Thai Union Group
Senior executive vice president, head of legal affairs division and company secretary | The Stock Exchange of Thailand
Vice president legal and member of country leadership team | DKSH Thailand
Commercial legal lead | LINE Company Thailand
Rising Star
Chief commercial officer and general counsel | Minor International
Senior managing counsel - product legal (global) | Agoda
Rising Star
Assistant vice president, legal and compliance | SHERA
Chief corporate officer and executive assistant to CEO | Gunkul Engineering
Senior legal manager | PepsiCo Services Asia
First vice president, legal | Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC)
Country head of legal and secretariat, and data protection officer | UOB United Overseas Bank (Thai)
Head of litigation and regulations department | True Corporation
Chief compliance officer and general manager of legal department | Mitsubishi Company Thailand
Senior vice president – general counsel and data protection officer | Thai Group Holdings
Vice president, senior lawyer, utilities and infrastructure law division | Siam Commercial Bank
Producing the Thailand GC Powerlist has undoubtedly been one of the highlights of each year since I worked on our first edition back in 2023. As well as the undeniable qualities of the GCs and other leading in-house lawyers profiled in the country, it has been a pleasure to experience the enthusiasm, friendliness and candour those I have spoken to while researching each edition.
Getting input from such a wide range of the world’s top in-house counsel allows us at Legal 500 to report on some of the trends facing the community, whether these are common to wide geographical areas or specific to the country in which they operate. Athicha Vuttiviroj, Country legal head of Novartis Thailand, spoke about a trend that she feels that the wider business world is quickly optimising operations, with GCs at the forefront of this:
‘The business landscape is evolving towards leaner organisations that prioritise productivity and efficiency for sustainable operations. This transformation often involves streamlining work processes and reorganising to eliminate redundancies. In this context, the role of in-house counsel is crucial, supporting the business in achieving its efficiency objectives while maintaining legal integrity, effective risk management, and long-term sustainability. Given Thailand’s pro-employee labor laws, it is challenging to justify the need for transformation when the company is not making loss. In-house lawyers must collaborate closely with relevant teams to ensure fair selection processes and compliance with statutory severance payments for affected employees. Additionally, they should manage the overall exit experience to minimise the risk of impacted employees bringing the case to labor court, which could incur significant legal fees and manpower costs.’
On the AI angle, Visitsak Arunsuratpakdee, head of litigation and regulations at True Corporation spoke about the continuing lack of regulation regarding the now common use of AI by corporations:
‘The rapidly evolving world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the current absence of specific laws governing its use are the topics that have most drawn my attention. As we continue to integrate AI into various aspects of our operations, it is crucial to consider how we manage and utilize data to stay compliant with future legislation. One of the primary concerns is the extent to which we can use data without infringing upon future laws. This includes safeguarding trade secrets, managing personal data responsibly, and establishing internal policies that align with the increasing use of AI. As we navigate this dynamic landscape, it is essential to remain vigilant and proactive in our approach to AI governance and data management.’
Wanchanit Sa-Nguanwong, General Counsel of ride-sharing app Grabtaxi Thailand spoke about the emergence of a new employment sector that is likely to assume ever-greater importance: that of the gig economy workers:
‘One of the most significant trends I have observed over the past year is the growing importance and scrutiny of the Gig Economy, particularly the role of riders, who are central to the growth of digital platforms. The rise of the digital economy has given birth to a new service segment that reflects freelance characteristics and challenges traditional employment models. This evolving landscape raises several important legal and regulatory questions. Firstly, what is the most appropriate regulatory framework for the Gig Economy, given its hybrid nature, blending elements of both employment and freelance work? Secondly, how can we design fair and practical regulations that consider the interests of all stakeholders, including service platforms and consumers?’
As always, massive congratulations to everyone who made it on to the list this year, especially those who are appearing for the second or even third time. There were a lot of very talented corporate counsel who unfortunately did not make it onto the list this year, so those of you included have achieved extremely impressive things to get here.
Joe Boswell
Global Editor – GC Powerlist
Legal 500
Legal 500 was proud to host the second edition of the GC Powerlist: East Africa 2025 in Nairobi, honouring the top General Counsel, Chief Legal Officers, Legal Directors, and senior in-house legal professionals across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda. This year’s reception brought together over 100 of the most influential and innovative corporate counsel from the region, and was an unrivalled success, cementing Legal 500’s role as the leading voice in recognising in-house legal excellence across Africa.
The evening was opened by Joe Boswell, lead editor of the GC Powerlist publication at Legal 500, who highlighted the growing prestige of the East Africa edition and the increasing challenge of selecting honourees from such a deep (and rapidly growing) pool of talent.
Guests were then treated to some particularly relevant insights from distinguished speakers. Rachel Musoke, Head of ENS Uganda, delivered a thoughtful welcome that reflected on the importance of collaboration between private practice and in-house teams. This was followed by a powerful keynote from Habil Waswani, Company Secretary & Director Legal Services and Regulatory Compliance at Kenya Airways, who shared reflections on leadership, regulatory stewardship, and the evolving role of corporate counsel in East Africa.
The highlight of the evening was the certificate ceremony, where this year’s honourees were formally recognised. Certificates were presented by senior representatives of ENS, including Désiré Kamanzi (Head of Rwanda), Rachel Musoke, Nigel Shaw (Head of Kenya), Donald Nyakairu (Executive, Uganda), Dieudonne Nzafashwanayo (Executive, Rwanda), Rahema Nakirya Ssemyalo (Executive, Uganda) and Binti Shah (Executive, Kenya) whose participation underlined the depth of the firm’s support for the GC Powerlist initiative.
The GC Powerlist: East Africa 2025 reaffirmed The Legal 500’s commitment to shining a spotlight on the region’s most talented in-house lawyers. With an even stronger field of candidates, this year’s edition stands as a powerful testament to the influence and expertise of East Africa’s legal leaders. Habil Waswani’s excellent speech, which got a raucous reception from those in the room, is reproduced below with his permission:
‘My name is Habil Waswani, and I have been an inhouse legal practitioner for the past 21 years in different sectors (having done law-firm practice for 2 years before that). Tt is indeed a true privilege and honour for me to be here tonight, surrounded by the sharpest legal minds and calmest crisis-handlers the East African corporate world has to offer.
First, let me thank the Legal 500 and ENSAfrica teams, for organising such a fantastic event and for bringing us together in such style. Congratulations to each of tonight’s honourees. You represent the very best of general counsel in this very dynamic corporate space the businesses we support operate in. Strategic, ethical, resilient, and, let’s be honest, often underappreciated leaders of industry.
I am so happy that this evening is not about contracts, or compliance checklists, or board packs. Tonight is about celebrating you, the people behind all of that. The steady hands guiding companies through complexities, uncertainties, and ensuring that the opportunities that lie within those difficult circumstances are lawfully realized.
We all know the role of GCs has evolved. We are no longer tucked away at the end of a corridor marked “Legal” or labelled the proverbial “cost centres”. These days, the GCs sit at the big table – helping drive corporate strategy, shaping desired culture, providing leadership and safeguarding business reputations. We have become indispensable partners to businesses, interpreters, navigators, protectors… and on some (many) days, therapists with law degrees. And yet, we mostly do it all so quietly. No victory laps, no press releases. Often, success for us means the expected disaster didn’t happen.
But tonight, we break that rule. Tonight, we raise a glass to the GCs who’ve blazed the trail courageously, with clarity, conviction, and tremendous resilience that only matches the expectations of the Leadership Guru John Maxwell when he said, “resilient leaders don’t wait for the storm to past — they learn to dance in the rain”. You have managed to balance growth and governance, risk and reward regularly. And, of course, always managed to deal with those 10pm messages: “Hey, just a quick question…Are you able to talk right now…?”
Let this evening serve as a reminder that you are not just experienced legal advisors. You are leaders — spear heads and enablers of execution — and without a doubt critical pillars of business strategy.
To all the honourees, congratulations once again for the well-deserved recognition. This is for the heavy lifting that you do, the standards you uphold, and the impact you make – quietly, consistently, and brilliantly so. You’ve earned this spotlight.
