How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

During periods of instability or crisis, there is usually no ‘playbook’ or precedents to rely on. Solutions must be tailored by working closely with management and key stakeholders to address the context of the crisis. Acting as a strategic business partner and collaborating closely with the businesses ensures alignment with their objectives. This can be particularly challenging because our team oversees all construction business lines of the Group across over thirteen jurisdictions in Asia, spanning over fifty separate entities and subsidiaries. Given the absence of a ‘playbook’, my approach includes: Core Pillars (active listening, building trust, collective decision making by consensus); Methodology (anticipate, be solutions focused, be realistic, provide feasible proposals); and if there is Disagreement (openly express views, look for positive reasons not negative, seek solutions as a team).

What strategic priorities are guiding you and your team in 2024?

For the Team and myself, we pursue the collective interests of the Group and the matters we work on, rather than personal ambitions. We do this with an open and transparent spirit, and a clear commitment to quality service delivery and next-generation development. This is developed through clear communication of this unique culture to the team and finding the right lawyers who have the right cultural fit to join the team. More importantly, the head of legal and senior team members lead by example – there is no rigid hierarchy or rank when it comes to work. All team members are encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas openly, without judgment, and good ideas are embraced in the best interest of the cases at hand. Case handlers, regardless of seniority, have direct exposure to stakeholders and receive credit for their contributions. Each team member is given the opportunity to work across various jurisdictions within our broad Asian remit (over 13 jurisdictions) and to spend time at our Group headquarters in Paris. This helps broaden their perspectives and build networks within the wider Group legal community and with business stakeholders. Appropriate level of work will be allocated to the more junior members of the team with oversight and supervision by the senior members of the team to provide guidance, direction and to create a space for them to develop further skills, qualities and knowledge that would allow and prepare them to take on more senior roles. These strategic priorities will continue to be finetuned and adhered to in 2024 and beyond.

How do you prioritise diversity and inclusion within your legal department, and what initiatives have you implemented to foster a more inclusive and equitable work environment?

Our team has nearly reached a perfect gender diversity split, with 68% female and 32% male representation. We have 6 different nationalities in a team of 11. To foster a more inclusive environment, the team’s offices are open plan with space that can be used for ad hoc discussions, to have a quick snack, to have monthly birthday gatherings and just for team members to hang out. Monthly team meetings are held, with ample time allocated, so that team members can receive updates, share knowledge, share learnings from matters, in a relaxing and safe environment. We contribute to the overall work environment being equitable and fair, as the team is charge of ethics and compliance initiatives for the Group’s subsidiaries, across over 13 jurisdictions in Asia.  This includes responsibility for rolling out the Group’s policies on Gifts and Invitations, Patronages and Sponsorship, partner screening, data privacy and whistleblowing, aimed at combatting inequitable behaviour such as bribery and corruption. The team also provides regular training on these topics to internal stakeholders. We are therefore proactive in fostering a more inclusive and equitable work environment.