Team size: 30

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

I and my team had been involved in the largest M&A transaction in Asia between Tesco and CP Group, the transfer of CP Fresh Mart to Lotus, the transfer of Lotus to Makro, and more importantly, the transition of the business into the CP regime. After the Tesco era, my team and I have advised the business on many complex synergy projects, M&A deals, competition and anti-trust compliance, merger control, Trade Competition Commission’s merger remedies, and complex business transition matters. Business integrity, governance and compliance are key areas of expertise that we lend our hands to for the Group, giving them support on anti-bribery, data privacy, competition law, fraud and other important policies.

What are some of your main tips for dealing with a crisis?

Lately, we are all moving from one crisis to another. We have experienced a global pandemic, dramatic changes of culture from the Tesco era to the Thai largest conglomerate CP Group, economic uncertainty, and Thai political issues. Then there are personal traumas that people are also dealing with, such as the loss of loved ones and unemployment. For many of us, this is a time of unprecedented struggle.

While there is no way to avoid all these issues, there are ways to help the team to regain a sense of control. During the years of Covid-19, we set up a crisis team to deal with all problems faced by the business, our customers, our people, our suppliers, government authorities and other stakeholders. We must stay focused and be flexible. As a leader, it is our responsibility to make proper action plans and recommendations and communicate these to the top management and our colleagues in the organisation so they know what to do. Communication is powerful because it demonstrates to employees that their leaders are concerned, involved, knowledgeable and on top of the situation. Resilience is also key; building resilience can help us better adapt to changes, cope with difficult times and bounce back.

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

General counsel have often provided regulatory guidance for their businesses alongside advising on moderating reputational issues and addressing risks. Their primary role has often been to prepare for, respond to, and remove obstacles a business may face in achieving its plans and goals. Now, we have seen general counsel expand their roles to include setting the corporate governance direction of their organisations, moving from dealing with what they want to avoid to guiding them to what they want to become, and beginning to help their businesses develop an understanding of not only what is legal but what is the right thing to do. Legality is only the minimum requirement. Doing the right thing is above and beyond. This will be a journey of ethical culture change, especially in Thailand over the years.