About

Henry Leong has been a major force among GE’s sizeable in-house legal organisation since 2005, originally taking on a general counsel position with the corporation in 2012 with GE Power and Water. Now Asia Pacific general counsel for GE Gas Power Systems and Power Services, Leong has been dealing with complex litigations, anti-corruption matters and sanctions issues of late. In his opinion, the opportunity to build a diverse and multi-disciplinary legal team that has versatility to deal with a range of complex issues has been a particularly enjoyable experience. ‘Hiring people from across the region and creating opportunities for them to build careers in a complex and fast growing business in Asia Pacific has been a particular career highlight’, he says. He considers his embedding of compliance efforts within his function as among his main achievements as well, and one of the most dramatic changes he has made to the department since taking over. ‘Compliance in all aspects of the business has never been more important and relevant. Lawyers armed with their legal expertise and business acumen allow them to be great advocates for improving compliance at every level of a business, and this is now a key component of our legal responsibilities’, he states.