GC Summit Singapore 2023 Keynote Speech: Lily Tsen

Thank you, Joe, Ben, and The Legal 500 team for inviting me to give this keynote address to the 2023 Legal 500 GC Summit, here in beautiful Singapore.  

Good morning to every one of you. I am Lily Tsen, the regional general counsel for the Asia Pacific region of Amcor Flexibles – a global leader in developing and delivering responsible packaging solutions. 

 It is an absolute honour and privilege to be amongst such esteemed and brilliant legal minds. I am fortunate and humbled to have been recognised in the 2019 and 2022 GC Powerlists for Southeast Asia, and more recently in the inaugural Green Southeast Asia Legal 500 GC Powerlist for 2023. 

When I was asked to give this keynote address, my immediate reaction was why me?  And what do I talk about?  I can assure you that this address is certainly not focused on me; rather, it is focused on you, your power, and your potential.   

 I want to start by showing you this picture produced by The Myers-Briggs Company.  Some of you may have seen it before in a different context. What do you see?  I will give you a few moments.   

I can probably guess what you see – a strange land mass floating in the sky; to the right, you see a boy fishing; to the left, you see a romantic couple; you see birds, clouds, butterflies, and a hot air balloon. You also see some mountains and trees. You see all these things – so what? 

 As lawyers, we tend to state what is in the picture, focusing on objective details, the reality, and the specifics; what is here, what is now, and what is realistic. This perspective is largely as a result of both the traditional schools under which we have been trained, and traditional expectations. 

 As in-house lawyers, leaders, influencers, and team members, how do we see, inspire, and engage – not only ourselves – but our teams, organisations, and broader communities, with imagination?  To see the big picture and anticipate the future?  This is the challenge and the opportunity for evolution, that we all need to embrace.  And I have no doubt that we have all been on that journey.   

Who amongst us can remember our principals telling us to “stay within the guardrails of what you have been asked to deliver”; we have been conditioned to give the client what they request because they are always right. “Don’t be too creative because creative lawyering won’t win in court”, and “keep working on your attention to detail” are very familiar statements that governed our training years. 

This is all well and good if we continue to live by the traditional belief that our role as lawyers is to advocate for our clients, and zealously represent their instructions.  But that is not who we are, nor is that who we want to be. To continue to be this would be to impair what I truly believe is a vital community organ. 

Whether we like it or not, as general counsel and in-house lawyers, we as the connective tissues across our organisations.  We hear about issues at various points in the evolution of a matter – be it a change in regulation, litigation, M&A deal, or employee dispute – and work with stakeholders (each of whom bring their unique perspectives) to create solutions. That is not all. We are also entrusted, in confidence with what I would call “special” information.  But again, you’re probably asking – so what? 

I remind you of the saying, “With knowledge comes power, and with power comes great responsibility”. This, my friends, is who we are.  As general counsel and in-house lawyers, we are all charged with the responsibility to hold firmly onto our moral compass, and ensure it continues to work, so that it can always display the “True North”.  This is, of course, in addition to being an enabler and strategic business partner, aligned with core business activities and goals. This responsibility must also be carried out while providing clear, concise, pragmatic, and commercially astute legal advice which aligns with our stakeholders’ appetites and tolerances for risk in a language which non-legal eagles, across cultures, can understand.   

Communicating with these non-legal eagles can be challenging, and at times it can feel like they are pecking right at the glass of our compass to the extent that it might break. However, I implore you to stand firm, and remain true to the values that are important to you and your team.   

Whether it is — 

• Striving to achieve more with less -which we are all constantly challenged to do – through the introduction of alternative sourcing solutions. 
• Giving yourself and your team the much-deserved space needed to rest, develop and grow.  
• Advocating for the adoption of meeting norms to help set the boundaries as to who should attend meetings, and when.
• Fighting for a rewards and recognition program which would give your teams the meaningful recognition which they want and deserve – this could simply be by insisting on time during senior management meetings to highlight the great work your team is doing. 
• Championing investment in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that would benefit your organisation and the community as a whole – such as a women’s leadership development program.   

— You play an instrumental role in connecting the dots, not only legally, but from the perspective of an entire enterprise.  I implore you to use your knowledge, power, and spheres of influence to help others to see – and imagine – beyond the immediate picture; to be the agents of the change you want to see. 

Thank you for listening.  I look forward to meeting you through the course of this summit.