Can 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?

We aspire to be the trusted adviser in supporting HKEX’s vision of becoming the marketplace of the future. In 2023 we rolled out “legal business partners” model, where designated counsel(s) were assigned to business departments requiring legal support. Compared to a traditional model where in-house counsels advise on a whole spectrum of legal matters based on subject matter expertise, our dedicated legal business partners act as the trusted legal advisers to respective business department(s) and serve as the first “port of call” for all their legal matters.

With legal business partners being dedicated to cover specific departments, our counsels have established more in-depth understanding on the overall strategy, capabilities and priorities which allow us to provide more tailored and useful advice whilst still leveraging on the subject matter expertise that each counsel has across the Legal Services department. Since the rollout of the “legal business partners” model, our counsels have not only been able to establish themselves as the to-go person for all existing departmental legal matters, but also started engaging in more forward-looking discussions around various departmental projects and initiatives that require legal advice. Through better understanding and collaboration with the covered departments, our legal counsels are also able to better identify, escalate and mitigate legal and regulatory risks that could impact our overall ability to execute and sustain our business processes. Whilst we have been receiving positive feedback on the model from our departmental stakeholders, our success did not come at any expense to the legal services department, nor HKEX, as it is simply an alignment of our internal counsels’ expertise to respective departmental requirements. In addition, the model has better enhanced synergies across various departments and further embedded our legal services department into HKEX supporting its organisational vision and strategies.

Apart from legal matters, has the team worked on other company initiatives?

In recognition of HKEX’s unique role in leading the sustainable development of the financial system, we have successfully ensured the adaption of the World Federation of Exchanges’ (WFE) sustainability principles as the underlying foundation of our corporate social responsibility strategy and activities. These include our ongoing efforts to promote and advocate enhanced environmental, social and governance (ESG) management and disclosure among our listed issuers; facilitate the ecosystem development for sustainable finance; and review and enhance our governance structures and policies that enable the achievement of our sustainability goals.