About

Real estate and capital markets lawyer Eugene Phua assumed his current position as legal head of real estate and supply chain financing, and legal co-head of loan capital markets in 2015. This role has proven to be a diverse portfolio within the bank serving the most significant clients in Southeast Asia. Prior to his in-house career Phua’s private practice experience included leading and executing complex syndicated loans, structured and acquisition financing across Southeast Asia and Japan. This comprised of four years in Tokyo with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom focusing on real estate financing and a spell at Clifford Chance in Singapore, focusing on general banking. In his current position Phua considers himself a strong proponent of being actively engaged in all stages of a deal from inception to end. He is a key leader in the structuring stage, negotiations and execution and resolving legal issues with external counsel. ‘I lead by example and this has helped transform the legal team from mere gatekeepers of specific issues (which is not uncommon in a number of financial institutions) to broad-based legal experts who are constantly aware of all deal issues and who can be counted on by the business at any time for a sound solution’. A testament of his professional competence was shown when he hit the ground running at BNP Paribas by immediately overhauling the supply chain financing documentation platform and processes, based on his experience in creating a similar platform for a local bank while in private practice. ‘First impressions count, so it was a make-or-break situation for me at BNP Paribas’.