About

Now owned by Japan’s Itochu Corporation, Dole Asia Holdings is the global operating headquarters of the Dole Group of companies. Containing some of the best in-house lawyers in the region, the company’s legal team is spread across Southeast Asia and was integral to overseeing a smooth transition when Itochu Corp bought Dole’s worldwide packaged foods and Asian fresh produce businesses in 2013 for US$1.7bn. Explaining the skills of Dole Asia’s legal team in the Philippines, one nominator said: ‘Considering that Dole Asia is one of the region’s largest producers and marketers of fruits and vegetables, its in-house team has ensured that Dole Asia is compliant with Philippine laws and that Dole Asia adheres to its contractual obligations with the numerous entities it regularly transacts with. The team is also responsible for managing several litigation cases of Dole Asia in the region. With its reliable and excellent legal force, Dole Asia maintains to be fully functional and operational producer and marketer of fruits and vegetables in Asia’. Members of Dole’s Philippine legal team were also credited for the role in the opening of the company’s new US$20m production plant in South Cotabato in 2017.