How do you see the general counsel role evolving in Thailand over the next five-ten years?

With the pace of global change only accelerating, the role of the General Counsel (GC) has undergone transformative change in recent years, both in Asia and beyond. Legislative and regulatory reforms are becoming increasingly rapid and complex worldwide, while advancements in technology, particularly in Generative AI (GenAI), are pushing the boundaries of what was previously thought possible. GCs are now more than ever called upon to take center stage in guiding their companies through an ever-volatile and uncertain external landscape, all while maximising commercial opportunities and strategic advantages.

Focusing on Thailand specifically, the potential for General Counsel is vast, particularly in terms of the professional and personal development opportunities that arise from taking a privileged front seat as a business leader in a rapidly advancing country. Agoda has long recognised Thailand as a premier location, boasting an impressive talent pool, the right infrastructure, and a progressive view on commerce. These key components support both Agoda’s ambitions and operations, as well as the country’s rapid integration into the global economy. It is truly an exciting time to be a general counsel in Thailand.

Could you share an example of how Gen AI adoption and innovation that has been supported by your team or improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?

As one of Asia’s largest and most successful travel-tech businesses, we are deeply excited about the potential of Gen AI to unlock efficiency and innovation for both our operations and customers alike. Agoda has been leveraging AI for more than a decade, but like many businesses, we are rigorously experimenting to better understand how recent technological developments can be harnessed to fast-track our strategic ambitions.

A key focus for Agoda is internal productivity, and the Legal Team has targeted OKRs specifically aimed at enabling both business and team-wide Gen AI adoption. Working closely across teams, Legal plays a pivotal role in ensuring that we are implementing the appropriate governance guardrails. For instance, we were recognised last year by a Financial Times Innovative Lawyers nomination in 2023 for our creation and adoption of a responsible AI framework. This is likely one of the first such projects from tech businesses in Asia. We have also been helping to build scalable, risk-assessed foundations to support our business-wide Gen AI capability.

As a team, we have been workshopping a range of use cases, from those that can help automate, reduce, or remove lower-value work, to bigger-picture thinking like: “if I had a magic wand, I’d love Gen AI to do X.” We are also fortunate to have a suite of internal AI-powered tools at our fingertips. These tools utilise state-of-the-art GPT models and are tailored to meet the specific demands of Agoda employees by elevating workflows and maximising productivity. As a team, we recognise that Gen AI will transform the way legal teams operate and how legal services are delivered, and we want to be ahead of that curve. There is no better moment to be in such a tech-focused business!