About

Having been with Heineken since 2001, Geraldine Lim reflects on the journey she has made along with the company in this period. It is fair to say her role has – unsurprisingly – changed markedly during this time: ‘When I first went in-house, the company was small enough to give me a mixed role which meant I had first-hand experience running internal audit, tenders and even a customer survey project. This was a real eye opener that legal is only a small part of the equation and this helped shaped my transition to an in-house career from an external counsel. Being part of a growth company subsequently, investing and expanding to various countries in the region allowed me to see how different and yet the same we all are including the universal laws that apply’. The current legal function which Lim heads is a forward-thinking and highly efficient business partner to the company that seeks to utilise any competitive edge available to it, as Lim explains: ‘We have entered into the digital age. The speed of innovation and change in the market has not been seen before. Heineken counsel are expected to really understand what drives the business and operate side by side with our colleagues to achieve Heineken’s ambition together. This also means keeping pace through personal development with changes in the law for e commerce and innovations made by the company; the team is encouraged to step out of the comfort of the legal-only zone and step into the shoes of the client. This makes the Heineken counsel more relevant and insightful in their advice, and is notably appreciated by the business’.