Can you describe your career path leading up to your current role? In which year did you assume your current position?

In 2016, I joined 3M Thailand Limited as General Counsel responsible for Thailand and six emerging markets (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Nepal) with one legal counsel reporting to me.

In 2017, I was appointed as the Women’ s Leadership Chair for 3M Thailand in addition to my legal role.

In 2018, I have been assigned an extended role to regulatory affairs with additional responsibility to supervise and mentor a team of three non-health care regulatory affairs and four heath care regulatory affairs and stepped down from the Women’ s Leadership Chair to become Inclusion Champion to promote Inclusion and Diversity programs of 3M Thailand.

Can you provide the top 3 highlights of your in-house career and state how they have moulded you as a legal professional?

I believe lawyers need to be innovative to lead efficiency in the disruptive world. Hence, I have adopted a technology with my legal work and a preventive strategy to protect, prevent and support growth of the organization.

Firstly, a Contract Management System (“CMS”): it is a web-based end-to-end system for a proper management of contracts being executed by the company.

Once business units would like to have contracts for the supply of products, they will create a request in the CMS and we will work with them on a review, approval process and depository through the CMS.

The CMS generates automated reminder notifications to contract owners and Legal Department before expiration of the contracts to ensure their prompt renewal.

Secondly, a Legal Playbook for doing Business in Emerging Markets: there are various risks in emerging countries from both legal and ethical business conduct standpoints, thus it is important that lawyers proactively adopt a prevention approach rather than solving problems.

The legal playbook outlines the company’s internal procedures against bribery and corruption and major laws relate to doing business in those countries. We review the legal playbook at least annually. Newcomers to our export team are trained with this legal playbook as part of their onboarding.

Thirdly, a regulated product platform: as many of the company’s products are regulated products which require extra attention for legal compliance prior to manufacturing, sales, and importation and exportation registrations and licenses. Any non-compliance will result in not only non-compliance of laws but also our failure to meet customers’ demand and expectation.

This web-based platform is for regulated products which enables users to search products against their registration/licenses with details to help users with forecast and order planning and be able to supply the products to meet customers’ demands. The platform also generates automated reminder notifications to business units and a regulatory affair team prior to expiration of the registrations and licenses.

What changes have you made to the workings of the legal department during your time in your current role? How has that affected the wider company?

In-house lawyers who are more than just a lawyer but a legal leader. With this, I think of the organization as my client so I work to simplify things and connect the dots through cross-functional collaboration utilizing technology to achieve the organization’s ultimate goals, and not just focusing on each function’s KPIs.

The legal department now works hand in hand with cross-functional stakeholders to drive growth, protect the organization, prevent problems and create productivity. I also champion of a green belt regulatory project without being trained on the Lean Six Sigma’s methodology.