What are the most significant cases and/or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

I lead a team of six, managing all legal works for the group of companies and our chairman’s private entities, mainly dealing with all the litigation works filed against or by the companies, vetting and review of all commercial and manufacturing contracts, and legal advisory work.

What are some of your main tips for dealing with a crisis?

Keep calm and gather all the relevant information and documentary evidence to study the situation and fully understand the crisis. After, try to identify the root causes, potential risks, financial exposure, and potential solutions.

Depending on the cause of actions and issues involved and if needed, work and collaborate with relevant stakeholders and authorities for insights and support, or with external lawyers for their expertise.

Finally, learn from the experience and develop better corporate policies and guidelines for business units to comply with to avoid a reoccurrence or prevent risk.

How do you see the general counsel role evolving in Malaysia over the next five-ten years?

I believe general counsel will be expected to play a more strategic role in guiding business decisions, managing risks, and ensuring compliance with changing regulatory frameworks. They will also be expected to ensure better data protection and cybersecurity in the company, monitor the usage of ChatGPT and AI in corporate works that may lead to potential copyright infringement or plagiarism, and develop ESG policies and reporting frameworks.

General counsel might need to be trained to possess business acumen as we will be sought after as trusted advisors to the board or senior management and involved in business planning and development by providing legal insights.
With Malaysia’s increasing participation in international business and trade, general counsel may be required to participate in cross-border transactions more frequently. They will need to navigate complex legal frameworks, international agreements, and cultural differences, and work with international law firms.

General counsel may also be impacted by the increasing adoption of technology and digitalisation in business; we may need to understand the legal implications related to emerging technologies such as AI, blockchain and the importance of data analytics. Essentially, legal practice can be very versatile, and as general counsel, we must be adaptable enough to improve ourselves in line with the legal landscape and effectively comply with the changing demands of the role.