About

With more than 50,000 employees and $15bn in revenue, Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) is one of the leading industrial groups in Southeast Asia. Since Rose Kong joined the group in 2011, a culture change has been implemented to the legal team by means of alterations made to the vision, mission, values and behavioural statements expected of the function and its members. Kong has contributed to the function by rolling out a vigorous performance management program, resulting in a transformation of the department’s role from an administrative function to that of a business advisor. These changes, made as part of a program, have been focused on the implementation of a shared legal model, the implementation of process improvements, the increased use of technology, robust talent management and the development of engagement rules with external counsel. To tackle growing levels of regulation in the Asia Pacific region, Kong set up a compliance function within the legal department and developed a regulatory framework to understand the regulatory issues faced by the group and then successfully educating the business on those risks. Kong also established a small environmental legal team within the legal department that aims to understand the complex and growing legal issues around sustainability and peatland management. She says that the non-legal aspects in her role are just as important as the legal ones. ‘You have to lead many constituents within and without the organisation – from the board to your legal team to business team and teams outside the organisation – and more importantly a multi-generational constituency. You have to spend time with these constituents to understand them personally and their business objectives. You have to always anticipate issues and consider the surrounding legal and regulatory environment and identify and preserve opportunities to deliver the best results for the business’.