Head of legal, Greater China | Abbott
In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years? I personally see the in-house legal as a role that organically...
Legal director, legal and government affairs (Great China scope) | Sephora
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? A wholesale channel integration transaction for two famous internal brands. A...
Executive vice president – legal, compliance, joint venture affairs and corporate affairs; general counsel - Greater China Region | Nestlé (China)
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? The divestment of Nestlé’s dairy factory in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia in...
Senior vice president, legal and government affairs | Qualcomm (China) Holdings
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? From 2016-2018, Qualcomm’s acquisition of NXP for US$47bn attracted attention from...
Vice president and general counsel, Greater China | KONE Corporation
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? I managed and supported the tendering of over 8,000 real estate...
Vice president and chief legal officer | Foxconn Industrial Internet
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? First, the Wisconsin investment and Foxconn Industrial Internet’s (Fii) North American...
General counsel, deputy CEO | Baiyin Nonferrous (Beijing) International Investment Company
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? First, an asset restructuring project: The major asset restructuring project is...
Compliance officer, general manager of the legal and compliance department | China Life Insurance Company
Head of legal | Standard Chartered Bank (China)
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? The most important transaction is the completion of Standard Chartered Bank’s...
General counsel | Agile Group Holdings
How do you suggest in-house lawyers build strong relationships with business partners? To establish a good relationship with business partners, in-house lawyers need to do the following three tasks: First...
Legal director | Royal Caribbean Cruises Service (China)
How do you suggest in-house lawyers build strong relationships with business partners? This requires: a positive mind-set that in-house lawyers are partners to the business and will support their business...
Vice president, legal general counsel and chief compliance officer, chairman of compliance committee | NIO
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? First, NIO’s successful listing on the NYSE. As the general counsel,...
Vice president, Intel legal department, general counsel, Intel China | Intel Corporation
Lead counsel, Greater China | DXC Technology
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? The first example is related to a significant affirmative recovery on...
Senior legal director | Meituan Dianping
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? I joined Meituan Dianping in February 2018. Since then I have...
Deputy general counsel and deputy managing director of the corporate strategy department (legal department) | China Telecom
Vice general manager of the department of legal security (in charge of legal affairs) | CITIC Bank
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? The restructuring of the Luoshiwan project of Yunnan Zhonghao Group, which...
Legal director for North Asia | Hearst Corporation
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? The most important commercial transactions in China are the ones related...
Regional legal counsel Asia | Gensler
How do you suggest in-house lawyers build strong relationships with business partners? In-house lawyers must understand the concerns and needs of internal clients and business people and address them accordingly....
General counsel, Asia Pacific | Kemira
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? I handled an asset deal as a type of M&A transaction...
General counsel and vice president | United Energy Group
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? United Energy Group’s (UEG) US$200m acquisition of OMV Pakistan assets (OMV)...
Vice president and chief counsel for developed markets and business transactions, Upjohn | Pfizer China
General counsel Greater China | Continental
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? In 2018, we successfully completed the legal steps of the carve-out...
Chief legal officer | Shanghai Electric Group
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? In the past two years, being in charge of the Group’s...
Associate legal director | Skechers China
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Frist, a capex investment project in South China to build a...
Vice president and head of legal affairs and sourcing, North East Asia | Ericsson (China) Communications
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Earlier this year Ericsson agreed to acquire the antenna business from...
General counsel Greater China | Danone
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? We won important lawsuits to protect Danone’s key brands, including Aptamil,...
Lead counsel, General Motors China | GM China Investment
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? The restructuring of Opel Group and the sale of Opel to...
Deputy general counsel | Tencent Holdings
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Over the last two years I have overseen around 600 M&A...
Vice president, general counsel and compliance officer | adidas Greater China
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Compliance IDW 980 Certification. This is an adidas global project which...
Chief legal officer Greater China and Korea | Henkel (China) Investment
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? One high profile and complex acquisition of another chemical conglomerate expanding...
General counsel, compliance officer and chief risk officer | China Pacific Insurance (Group)
Vice president, business reputation and responsibility, Greater China | InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)
Chief legal officer | Mary Kay China
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? First I would mention the implementation of an enterprise-wide compliance programme...
Vice president, general counsel, chief compliance officer and head of risk management of Eisai China | Eisai China Holdings
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? We witnessed Lenvatinib, one great product, being marketed in China. As...
General counsel and chief compliance officer | Beijing Automotive Group
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? First, I would mention the BAIC BJEV listing project. We assisted...
Chief compliance officer and general manager of legal and compliance department | Taikang Insurance Group
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? The most important transaction in the past two years is the...
Legal director | Autohome
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Autohome invested US$100m in TTP Car, a company operating an online...
General manager - legal (Mainland) | Hang Lung Properties
How do you suggest in-house lawyers build strong relationships with business partners? An in-house lawyer shall follow the “three S’s principle” in order to build a strong and positive relationship...
Vice president, legal and general counsel | Sony (China)
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? During the past two years, I have been involved in the...
Vice president, compliance officer and chief risk officer | The People's Insurance Company of China Group
Since first being published as The Corporate Counsel 100, The Legal 500’s GC Powerlist series has grown exponentially since its beginnings in 2013. It started by covering four of the world’s most established legal markets, and whilst the core objective of the publication – highlighting the most capable, outstanding and innovative in-house counsel in a jurisdiction – has remained the same, the reach and scope of the GC Powerlist has since become almost unrecognisable. Now present in a vast array of jurisdictions and with a portfolio of 70 unique editions, the GC Powerlist series has gone from strength to strength and has firmly been established as the “go-to” title that assesses and features leading corporate counsel across the globe.
Not content to rest on our laurels, we at The Legal 500 are evolving the GC Powerlist series even further, deepening our commitment to ensuring not only the widest geographical coverage, but to highlight and explore issues and challenges at the forefront of the minds of leading in-house lawyers. Therefore, this and future editions of the GC Powerlist will have a very different look to their predecessors. Instead of profiling individual counsel or in-house legal teams, more incisive insights from in-house thought leaders on the topics of the day will be featured extensively throughout our new look GC Powerlist publications.
This new look entails the publication of Q&A transcripts regarding legal and business challenges, comment pieces on specific industry or regulatory affairs, more detailed analysis as to where the market is heading and content related to soft-skills, work ethic and business relationships that general counsel utilise. This new format will not only provide more thought leadership and insight, but provide more clarity on what is driving legal business forward in each market that we cover.
This brings me to China. The Legal 500 has covered the Chinese in-house legal market since 2017, which has allowed us to become familiar with the deep pool of in-house legal talent that exists across various industries and levels of seniority within the country. Whether it’s facilitating key company projects, adopting the latest technology to drive efficiencies or adjusting to new laws and regulations, the region is brimming with in-house lawyers and teams who seamlessly adapt with the latest international business developments.
In the GC Powerlist: China 2019, we showcase a broad range of topics and insights, including the ongoing US-China trade tension, China’s economic outlook, the development and influence of legal technology, as well as the impact of various new legislations such as data privacy and cybersecurity law. This edition features talented in-house legal leaders from Fortune Global 500 companies, domestic business titans and organisations at the cutting edge of technology and the future of work, each with their own priorities and challenges.
I would like to thank our sponsors for supporting this publication and congratulate all those featured in this year’s list. Their selection means they have been identified as in-house counsel who are amongst the standard bearers of the profession, and as specialists who confront and manage commercial and legal challenges in a way that marks them as market leaders. They are not only talented legal practitioners, but instrumental partners to and crucial components of their respective organisations, demonstrably helping them drive success and move business forward.
Congratulations to you all for ranking in The Legal 500 GC Powerlist: China 2019! Under your leadership, your team has provided strong support for the operations and investments of your company with their expertise in their particular field. Moreover, it is your forwarding and proactive legal risk management that has actively and progressively promoted the healthy growth of the entire legal profession in China and enabled Chinese companies to build an internal protection system that is just as effective as that of leading global companies.
What you do reflects the wisdom of combining your law practice with your company��s business objectives and the value of your dual identity of being both a manager and a lawyer. In serving your company, you need to focus not only on each small piece but also on the whole picture. As a lawyer, we have served as a guardrail in the development of your company and have always been committed to providing more stable and effective support for you. Your professionalism and efficiency continue to urge us to accelerate the improvement of our professional competence and work efficiency. During the process, we have witnessed each other’s growth, which enables us to work more closely than ever before. In the future, we will continue to help you in your endeavor to seek certainty and predictability in an uncertain business world and achieve your management and business goals through our joint efforts.
In recent years, focusing on the building of the “Belt and Road”, we will attach equal importance to inbound and outbound business relationships, forming a pattern of opening to the outside world that is characterised by stronger ties between China and the world and mutually beneficial east-west cooperation, creating a nationwide economic service network and accelerating the cultivation of new strengths in international economic cooperation and competition. Facing the complicated situations at home and abroad, how to help businesses obtain one-stop and high-quality legal protection worldwide is the goal of our efforts. Dentons has grown rapidly over the past few years. Now we have more than 180 offices and more than 10,000 lawyers in more than 70 countries worldwide. Relying on the power of technology and the efforts of our regional management teams, more than 650 elite firms from the world have joined our Nextlaw Referral Network, which offers a strong complement to Dentons Global Legal Service Network and allows our clients to receive professional legal services from Dentons or a trusted local law firm wherever they go.
Dentons Shanghai Office was founded in 2001. After years of efforts, we have grown into an important legal service term in Shanghai. Now we have nearly 500 professional lawyers, 170+ of whom have experience of studying or working abroad. Many of our colleagues have been recommended by major rating agencies, and many of our deals have been rated “outstanding” by these rating agencies. We could not have made these great chievements without the trust and support we have been given inside and outside the industry.
Lastly, as a joint publisher of The Legal 500 GC Powerlist: China 2019, congratulations once again to everyone! We hope you continue pursuing your dreams in the realm of law, realise your ideals and ambitions as a legal practitioner, and play a leading role in promoting the growth of the legal profession.
Blackstone Chambers congratulates all of the in-house lawyers recognised in The Legal 500’s GC Powerlist China 2019.
Blackstone Chambers is a leading set of barristers based in London. Members of Chambers offer expertise in the international arena across a range of specialist areas, including arbitration, commercial litigation, financial services, public and regulatory law and international law.
The Legal 500 welcomed 150 of Colombia’s leading in-house lawyers and private practice advisors to the Bogota Grand Hyatt’s plush El Dorado conference space for our 2025 GC Summit Colombia. From top to bottom the agenda provided excellent takeaways on a range of issues for the GCs in attendance, and thanks go to Legal 500 editor Margherita Birri and our event sponsors for putting together such an engaging program of discussions.
The opening panel explored the complexities of corporate taxation in Colombia, emphasising the latest reforms and their implications for businesses. Jairo Higuita Naranjo, managing partner at Esguerra JHR and Andersen, and his colleagues Carlos Giovanni Rodríguez and Bibiana Buitrago Duarte provided an in-depth analysis of key taxes, including Corporate Income Tax, VAT, and Wealth Tax. They addressed fiscal incentives and strategies to navigate evolving compliance requirements.
Adding a corporate perspective, Carlos Felipe Payan Rodriguez, senior corporate legal counsel and compliance officer at Avaya, and Mario Gómez, vice president of legal affairs for Alianza Fiduciaria, shared real-world insights into the challenges companies face in adapting to these tax changes. The panel emphasised the importance of proactive tax planning and robust compliance frameworks to mitigate risks and take advantage of incentives.
In the second session, a focus on corporate criminal liability within Colombian legislation revealed the increasing importance of compliance as both a legal necessity and a strategic advantage. Andrés Francisco Sintura Sánchez and Francisco José Sintura Varela, both of Francisco Sintura, highlighted key aspects of Colombian corporate criminal law and the ethical responsibilities tied to liability.
Jorge Adrián Rincón Plata, chief legal officer at Grupo Aval, expanded the discussion with examples of how large organisations manage these risks. Juliana Hoyos, general counsel at SierraCol, concluded with practical steps for building resilient compliance programs, emphasising ethical leadership as a foundation for success.
Following a brief coffee break, the conference resumed with a panel on the transformative impact of Law No. 2387 of 2024, which introduces personal liability for corporate officers regarding administrative environmental fines. Erika Serrano of Posse Herrera Ruiz opened the session by outlining the legal framework and its implications for general counsel.
Lina María Betancourth Betancur, legal manager of Colombina, and Jorge Mario Castillo, senior general counsel of Automotores Toyota Colombia, shared their perspectives on balancing corporate compliance with personal accountability. Santiago Lizarralde-Méndez, director of legal at Alianza Team, provided insights into mitigating risks through enhanced internal processes and legal safeguards. Together, the panel underscored the need for proactive strategies to adapt to this significant shift in legal responsibilities.
The conference concluded with an engaging discussion on ethical dilemmas in Colombia’s legal market. Executive partner Enrique Gómez-Pinzón of Holland & Knight introduced the critical issue of conflicts of interest, highlighting the interplay between business conflicts and ethical safeguards such as informational barriers. Partner Jose Vicente Zapata, also of Holland & Knight, elaborated on practical measures to address these challenges. Fabiola Margarita Martinez, regional legal vice president at Cemex, brought the discussion to life with examples from her experience managing conflicts in complex corporate settings. The session emphasised transparency and ethical vigilance as essential components of professional integrity.
Following our final panel session, guests moved to the extremely well-attended drinks reception, where conversations continued on the topics brought up at the event as well as all manner of other topics as old friends, colleagues, mentors and mentees re-connected over a glass of wine. We look forward to the 2026 edition of the GC Summit Colombia, where we will continue to raise the bar.
