Team size: Five

Key team members: Bonnie Chan, Eunice Leung, Edith Li, Sharon Wu and Benjamin Chan

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

HUGO BOSS Hong Kong legal team supports HUGO BOSS subsidiaries in the Asia Pacific region, functioning as a service arm of the group. We provide comprehensive legal services and advice in accordance with the policies and guidelines set by HUGO BOSS Legal.

Our primary objective is to safeguard and optimise the interests of the group and local subsidiaries while facilitating entrepreneurial opportunities. To achieve this, we actively engage and collaborate with various departments, considering them as our internal business partners and clients.

Our legal support encompasses a wide range of activities, including reviewing and drafting contracts and legal documents, managing commercial and litigation matters, providing brand protection support, and handling all legal-related matters.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, our retail business experienced a sharp decline in customer traffic, leading to shop closures or suspensions. We worked closely with local business and management teams to find solutions and develop contingency plans to mitigate the financial impact. We provided legal advice and recommendations based on rental relief schemes proposed by local governments in different countries. Additionally, we sought guidance from skilled external property lawyers who shared insights on complex tenant rights in various jurisdictions during the pandemic. As a result, some landlords agreed to reduce rent by a certain percentage, waive rent and management fees for a specified period, or offer other incentives to support us during these challenging times.

Apart from legal matters, has the team worked on other company initiatives?

We are responsible for corporate compliance matters and collaborate with our group compliance team led by Mr. Dominik Heske, to ensure alignment with global standards, regulations and policies. We share information and exchange best practices regularly and coordinate efforts to address compliance risks effectively. The legal and group data protection teams work to ensure that projects adhere to the legal requirements of both GDPR in Europe and PIPL in China, safeguarding personal data and maintaining compliance.

Can you sum up the team culture in one sentence?

Our team culture is built on trust with clear goals and roles, in an environment where open communication, shared knowledge, encouragement, and success are valued. As part of our commitment to these values, our entire legal team recently enrolled in a volunteer program organised by a local NGO, where we will be preparing meal boxes to serve vulnerable people. We not only treasure the opportunity to serve the community, but also recognise the value of strengthening the bond within our team through this experience.