About

3M’s Southeast Asia legal team has grown exponentially since 2015. From only one country lawyer in Singapore and one country lawyer in Thailand at this time, it now has eight individuals in six countries led by Singapore-based Southeast Asia region general counsel Sadhana Kaul. Kaul explains that ‘all of the lawyers are empowered to work independently, but share common concerns and learn collectively, for instance through a quarterly call where topics relevant to the Southeast Asia region are discussed’. Internal processes have evolved along with the expansion of the team, with a robust set of innovations being pushed through to assist the legal function. Kaul explains that the establishment of an ‘Asia centre of excellence’ in the region (which allows the ‘consolidation of manufacturing and supply chain activities across Asia’), along with ‘developing a legal playbook for business colleagues to use’ and a contract management system, has had a major effect in the management of legal issues across the region. The team is hugely proud of its progression in recent years, as Kaul outlines: ‘In the short span of two years the Southeast Asia team has grown into a high performing and dynamic legal team integrated with the business’ priorities and helping drive growth in this fast-expanding regional economy’.