| BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas
Team size: Over 30
Key team members: Michelle Ng, Binh Minh Tran Pathanit Mungkornpanich , Fikri Ahmad , Hugh Rosenvinge, Collette Lo, Siew Yen Ngoh , Eugene Phua, Marwalis Mohd Kassim
Major legal advisers: Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Simmons & Simmons, Allen & Gledhill, Rajah & Tann
What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?
As one of the most prominent global financial institutions BNP Paribas, maintains a substantial presence in the Southeast Asia (SEA) region, with a workforce of over 2,500 employees across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Southeast Asia legal team, consisting of 30 dedicated professionals, takes great pride in leading the way in supporting the bank’s ambitions within Southeast Asia. This team boasts a rich diversity, with members hailing from at least nine different nationalities.
Some of the team’s recent achievements include the rolling out of green financing in Indonesia, including a significant facility for P.T. SGMW Multifinance, globally merging BNPP group’s securities services, offering integrated solutions, and launching the BNPP Wealth Management business in Thailand. We also played a key role in securing project financing for a 100MW solar photovoltaic project in Malaysia, which was awarded the National Energy Awards 2022 by the Malaysia Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change for Sustainable Energy Financing. Furthermore, we helped to establish a sizeable bespoke USD Islamic working capital facility for a leading LNG market leader, and we also worked on Indonesia’s largest nickel industry IPO.
BNP Paribas has excellent legal talent throughout its divisions, with Michelle Ng serving as the head of legal for the SEA region. Other prominent figures within the SEA legal team include the head of corporate banking legal (APAC) Siew Yen Ngoh, the head of securities services legal (APAC) Collette Lo, the head of global markets legal (APAC) Hugh Rosenvinge, and syndicated loans and supply chain financing expert Eugene Phua.
The team’s foundation consists of professionals from specialised divisions including Corporate Banking Legal, Global Markets and Capital Markets Legal, Securities Services Legal, Transversal Legal, and Wealth Management Legal. Additionally, there are dedicated teams in Indonesia (led by Legal Fikri Ahmad), Malaysia (led by Marwalis Mohd Kassim), Thailand (led by Pathanit Mungkornpanich), and Vietnam (led by Binh Minh Tran).
Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?
A key project included the upgrading of credit facilities and documentation systems using the “design thinking” method in conjunction with the Bank’s Design Factory Asia Innovation lab, a unique framework for empowering collaborative problem solving. This collaboration empowered the legal team to create updated templates that effectively balanced legal risk management with optimising the customer experience.
Can you sum up the team culture or ethos?
The legal team is agile, innovative, and plays a key role in furthering the Bank’s 2025 strategic plan, referred to as GTS (Growth, Technology, and Sustainability). All while maintaining their well-deserved reputation for collaboration and teamwork.
Apart from legal matters, has the team worked on other company initiatives?
The team is deeply committed to pro bono efforts, providing legal aid, promoting diversity and inclusion, and participating in corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects that contributes to both the community and the environment.