About

Ashley Howlett is the executive director, general counsel and company secretary at Gammon Construction, leading a team of 11 people including a newly joined senior legal counsel. According to a nominator, the team is ‘at the forefront in dealing with key issues facing the Hong Kong construction industry, with a relentless focus on delivering business oriented advice and at the same time managing key regulatory and compliance risks’. The legal team has dealt with some significant cases during the past 12 months. On the litigation side, the team advised the company on defending a prosecution brought by the Buildings Department in connection with the partial collapse of the Central Police Station Heritage Conversion Project on Hollywood Road. The matter has been ongoing since 2017 and many technical experts covering heritage conservation, structural stability and buildings regulations have been engaged to support the parties’ arguments and positions. ‘We have not engaged any solicitors on this matter, instead, our team is working directly with multiple counsels for the defence of the case. This structure enhances the communication between the company and the advocates appearing in court and delivers a significant cost saving to the business’, says Howlett. In addition, Gammon mobilised a team at short notice to take over the construction of the M+ Museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District, where the legal team worked closely with their operational colleagues to oversee the novation of around 100 construction contracts to allow the works to continue with minimal delay to the project. ‘This project showcases the synergy between the legal department and the project team as well as close coordination with our client the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority. The fact that a new contractor came on board mid-way through the project with only minimal delay to the works is testament to the collaboration between many stakeholders’, Howlett states. The legal team works closely with the commercial team and the operational project teams, which often leads to conflicting priorities as the operational team focuses on delivery, the commercial team focuses on maximising revenue and the legal team on reducing risks. The legal team tries to overcome these conflicts by getting involved early, communicating better with the commercial and operational teams, and not only pointing out the risks but also generating creative solutions. The objective is to be a client focused legal team, says Howlett, ‘which we define as building a commercial and financial mind-set with a can-do attitude; strengthening and diversifying our skills; engaging, coaching and aligning behaviours of our in-house legal team; raising our profile by constantly communicating the value we deliver to the business; and being open about what we do and sharing experiences so that lessons can be learned’. The legal team currently has the ‘right mix of talent’, according to Howlett, but is always looking for creative and ambitious lawyers, especially those with a construction background. In terms of retaining talent, the team has regular feedback sessions, flexible working hours and mentoring systems.