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

As an in-house legal counsel, my recent involvements likely orbit around matters critical to the company’s strategic objectives and risk mitigation. While specific details remain confidential, to illustrate the work being occupied among others, it pertains to financial products launch where legal input is essential to ensure compliance and mitigate risks associated with introducing new financial products into the market where they are highly regulated undertaking. In-house legal acts as a critical gatekeeper, ensuring that the product not only meets business objectives but also adheres to all applicable legal and regulatory frameworks, especially banking and financial services regulations, data privacy and security laws, and consumer protection laws.

This involves a significant amount of work, including research, analysis, drafting, negotiation, and ongoing advice throughout the product development lifecycle and launch process. The goal is to minimise legal and regulatory risks, protect the company’s reputation, and ensure a compliant and successful product launch. In short, I am consistently involved in high stakes matters that demand a blend of legal expertise, business acumen, and strategic thinking to protect the company’s interests and enable its success.

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

My approach to managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis focuses on proactive risk mitigation and strategic counsel. This involves continuous screening threats and comprehensively assesses risks in order to identify potential areas of instability and pinpoint vulnerabilities that could impact the company. Most importantly, preemptive measures have been implemented to support unexpected crisis scenarios, i.e. data breaches, regulatory investigations, regulatory shifts, or geopolitical events. The establishment of a dedicated team will ensure rapid analysis, actionable advice, and seamless cross-functional collaboration among departments.

Furthermore, I prioritise maintaining compliance with all critical legal and regulatory obligations, adapting swiftly to evolving legal landscapes to avoid further complications. In post-crisis, a thorough review of the legal response, updates to policies and procedures, and enhancement of organisational resilience are to ensure the company is better equipped with handling future challenges.

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

The modern in-house counsel must be more than just a legal expert. In-house counsel must be a strategic business partner. This entails possessing a profound understanding of the company’s operations, industry, and competitive landscape, coupled with the ability to translate complex legal concepts into actionable business strategies and comprehensive advice towards stakeholders. Furthermore, in-house counsel should learn the art of communication and collaboration in order to build strong relationships with stakeholders across all functions and foster a culture of trust and transparency.

Based on your experiences in the past year, are there any trends in the legal or business world that you are keeping an eye on that you think other in-house lawyers should be mindful of?

Draft emergency decrees relating to measures for the prevention and suppression of technology crimes and digital asset business operation aim at bolstering legal framework against technology-related crimes, proposed by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society and approved by the Office of the Council of State. The primary objective of the amended 2023 emergency decree is to strengthen the legal framework in order to effectively combat technology-related crimes. The amendment aims to address the inadequacies of current legal enforcement, expedite the process of victim restitution, and impose stricter penalties on offenders. By doing so, these laws seek to mitigate public suffering, reduce social issues, and protect the Thai economy from the adverse impacts of cybercrime. The Amended Digital Assets Decree seeks to regulate digital asset businesses which offer services to Thai consumers from abroad.