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?  

Our legal strategy is designed around two broad objectives: providing functional support to our commercial operations and managing longer-term risk within the organisation. 

As a global security company, we provide services to customers across a very wide range of operating environments and industries. In our Asia Pacific region, we operate in 15 countries and territories, with services ranging from guarding commercial buildings in Hong Kong to securing oil and gas facilities in the remote highlands of Papua New Guinea. Navigating the legal and operational risks in such diverse environments requires our legal team to possess local knowledge and work closely with the business units they support. 

Beyond day-to-day support, our legal team plays a key role in our company’s broader compliance programmes. We maintain a robust whistleblowing programme, anti-bribery and corruption controls, and sanctions compliance framework. These measures not only help to reduce our own organisational risk but are also increasingly important to our customers’ efforts to manage risk within their own supply chains.  

The key to both objectives is ensuring that our legal team maintains close cooperation with our executive and commercial teams across all levels of the organisation. 

What emerging technologies do you see as having the most significant impact on the legal profession in the near future, and how do you stay updated on these developments?  

Generative artificial intelligence is already having a positive impact on our legal function. Our team members are utilising AI tools to improve the efficiency of day-to-day legal tasks. Our company has a long-term relationship with Google, which has given us access to leading edge technologies in this space.  

We recognise that the adoption of AI presents risks as well as opportunities, and we have updated our company policies to include guiding principles governing AI use.  

Do you have a cause, business-related or otherwise, that you are passionate about? 

Outside of business, I am a competitive trail runner and ultramarathoner. I regularly compete in road and trail races ranging from 5km up to 120km, and have proudly represented Canada at the past two World Trail & Mountain Running Championships in 2022 and 2023. I am an elected member of the Athletes Commission of the International Association of Ultrarunners.  

My running helps me manage the stress that inevitably comes with being a legal professional, and has allowed me to explore some beautiful parts of Asia and beyond. When traveling for business, an early morning run through the local city streets is an indispensable part of my daily routine.