About

Nathaniel Mangunsong is senior vice president and group head of legal and compliance for GO-JEK, a mobile technology company which seeks to introduce social change through technology. The company was founded in 2010 and has launched a popular mobile application which has had a big impact on various aspects of life in Indonesia, from transport and logistics to lifestyle services. Mangunsong has been integral to the planning and launch of the application, facilitating the signing of documents and managing the legal processes relating to financing. Having built the company’s legal function up from scratch while paying attention to regulatory and commercial issues, he had a sizable task. GO-JEK has experienced tremendous growth since its inception and the mobile application is now the number one online service booking app in Indonesia, with 13 million downloads as of March 2016. In assisting with various business transactions Mangunsong emphasises the importance of compromise and making space for lee-way in a regulatory fashion. Mangunsong admits that operating in such a highly regulated region has been a challenge for the renowned company and has consequently become a priority for his team: ‘The most difficult determining factors are regulatory. It has to be managed in a way that the whole team focuses on regulation. We have to see how we can walk in line with that and think of solutions to approach it in a positive way. For me and the business’. He also highlights the need to communicate concisely and efficiently to articulate critical business messages to management. This has led to an improved sense of cohesion between business and legal, Mangunsong says: ‘We are super passionate as well which is key to keeping upbeat’.