What are the most significant cases and/or transactions that you have been involved in over the past year?

My team successfully listed Malaysia’s first Business Trust on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia in 2024. This innovative platform is uniquely designed for infrastructure projects, such as highways, which are built, operated, and maintained through public-private partnerships. The structure benefits the public by allowing for public offerings of units and dividend payments. Essentially, this means the public can now directly participate in and benefit from dividends generated by toll concessions. As the first of its kind in Malaysia, this structure will pave the way for further innovation in the capital market, encouraging corporations to adopt it and enabling the public to enjoy consistent and sustainable dividends.

Based on your experience, what is the key to collaborating successfully with business partners?

Most General Counsels would greatly benefit from having an in-depth understanding of the various operational aspects of the business, including finance, sales and marketing, and manufacturing processes. This knowledge enables them to better comprehend the pain points and operational challenges faced within the organisation. Consequently, General Counsels can design more effective legal solutions tailored to the needs of different business units. This deeper understanding fosters improved collaboration with various business partners, as the General Counsel becomes more attuned to the realities and challenges encountered by their counterparts. The result is enhanced negotiations, more harmonious business relationships, and longer-lasting contractual agreements, all of which contribute to a stronger and more sustainable bottom line for the organisation.

What is a cause, business-related or otherwise, that you are passionate about, and why?

My team and I are actively working towards designing an effective and practical labour rights policy that includes stringent prohibitions and penalties against forced labour, intimidation, discrimination, and harassment. This policy will also establish a solid foundation for our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, aimed at ensuring that Prolintas and all our vendors and business partners are aligned on issues surrounding DEI. Our commitment is to combat discrimination and promote workplace diversity and inclusion. Additionally, we will be rolling out proactive educational programmes to ensure that awareness levels within the organisation remain high and that the values associated with DEI initiatives are internalised.