Key team members: Dodjie Lagazo, Christian Gerard Castillo, Nesly Joy Javier-Castillo, Esther Marie Bantog, John Henry Liquete, Rio Inocencio, Alan Ascalon, Vera de Guzman-Ocfemia, Raissa Villanueva, Sarah Squires

Can you sum up the team culture or ethos, and give us a breakdown of what makes your legal team function so well?

ACEN Legal handles all the legal operations of ACEN’s global business in the Philippines, Australia, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, USA, and new markets. We are a team of very experienced, highly motivated, and empowered individuals who share and believe in ACEN’s aspiration to become a prime mover and frontrunner in the renewables revolution in the Asia Pacific region.

Not only are our team members excellent lawyers and paralegals in their own right – we are all also strong advocates for working collaboratively with our internal clients and being strategic business partners to facilitate ACEN’s business, in line with our goal of achieving 20GW of renewables capacity by 2030. This shared belief in our goals and the recognition and acceptance of our critical role in enabling ACEN to achieve its targets is a big reason our team functions very effectively.

Our assignments are divided according to strategic units within the team, with each unit being headed by a key member to ensure focus and accountability. Despite this division, we are guided by a common and shared objective to become the best legal team to support ACEN.

Equally important to us is the recognition and acknowledgment by our internal clients that ACEN Legal is a business partner that not only provides legal advice, but also relevant commercial and practical perspectives and strategic thinking. Thus, we are deeply embedded in the various business and decision-making processes in ACEN.

The clear delineation of roles within ACEN Legal is also equally significant – our organisational structure is clear about which unit is accountable for a specific matter, and at the same time, it remains flexible to ensure that we can adjust in accordance with the requirements of our internal clients.

Excellence in our fields, self-motivation and empowerment, clarity, full acceptance of roles and accountability, and the ability to adapt quickly make ACEN Legal a powerhouse team in Southeast Asia.