How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises to ensure the organization’s resilience?  

An organisation’s resilience, particularly in today’s volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous business world, rests on three key factors. First, the visibility of leadership regarding long-term trends in the competitive landscape of the industry. Second, the agility of internal systems to respond to unexpected black swan events. Third, the strength of external alliances that can be leveraged quickly. These principles guide my approach to managing legal and compliance aspects at M&G Group.

To adapt to the three main trends of globalisation, digitalisation, and centralisation in the stationery industry, I first built a lean team to map out country-specific risks, focusing particularly on ASEAN and African regions. We established a tailored international structure and registered essential trademarks and core patents in over 150 countries, laying a solid foundation for accelerating our global expansion. Over the past two years, I led a cross-functional team involving IT, finance, and HR to reform the company’s cybersecurity and data compliance systems. This not only ensured we met regulatory requirements but also strengthened our ability to scale globally.

Additionally, as the leader of the strategic investment department, I increased our investments in start-ups with innovative and disruptive technologies, diversifying the company’s portfolio and preparing for major acquisitions to solidify our leading position in the industry.

In times of crisis, there are three key pillars that ensure the company’s survival. First, ensuring all products launched to market are free from health or safety risks and immune from malicious intellectual property infringements. To address this, I reorganised a team with expertise in product compliance and IP Freedom to Operate assessments, effectively mitigating significant product risks. Second, protecting the company’s crown-jewel know-how. In this regard, the legal team reshaped our trade secret protection system, integrating cutting-edge technologies like blockchain to safeguard against theft and leakage. Third, winning significant litigation cases. As a listed company, losing a major case could send a negative signal to investors and cause stock price fluctuations. Over the past year, my team successfully defended the company in several high-profile cases, including some at the Supreme Court, ensuring our reputation and stability.

Building, maintaining, and optimising external legal, investment, academic, and government networks is also a top priority. Over the years, we have developed a strong network with major and boutique domestic and international law firms, investment banks, and financial advisors. We also maintain reciprocal relationships with prominent legal professors and government agencies, ensuring that the company’s voice is heard and its suggestions considered.

In conclusion, both the legal and investment functions are integral to the business. Keeping the company safe while enabling its growth and success is essential for ensuring the organisation’s resilience.

What is a topic (business-related or otherwise) that you are passionate about, and why?  

‘Building a business from 0 to 1’ is something I am passionate about, and there are a few reasons for this.

Firstly, I was born into a family where my parents ran a small garment production business. As a result, from a young age, I was immersed in an environment where making products and selling them to make a living was the central focus, which somehow became ingrained in my DNA.

Secondly, before M&G, I spent three years working with a team to build a start-up in the automotive industry. Even though the company ultimately didn’t work out, this experience really equipped me with an overarching view of how to transform a business idea into a practical business model and then turn that model into a real business. The beauty of building something from the ground up and the excitement of going through that process also continues to drive me.

Thirdly, I am now also in charge of the investment department at M&G. Diving deeply into business trends, searching for suitable target companies, and managing the entire transaction process is a key part of my responsibilities. In this role, transplanting a seed company into the environment of a conglomerate feels very similar to restarting a business in a new space.

To some degree, I see myself more as a businessperson with legal insights rather than simply a general counsel. This broad perspective allows me to handle both legal and business issues from a wider standpoint.