Team size: 160

What are the most significant cases or transactions that you have recently been involved in?

In 2023, our Legal, External Affairs & Governance (LEG) team has been instrumental in a number of major transactions. On the air distribution side, we expanded partnerships with Air Canada and Scandinavian Airlines and signed a new global distribution agreement with LIFT, a South African airline.

With regard to IT systems, we supported the migration of Etihad, ITA Airways of Italy and Hawaiian Airlines to the Amadeus Altea Passenger Service System, including functionalities such as web booking, revenue management capabilities, merchandizing, and data management. And in Australia, Sydney’s new airport signed a partnership agreement for its strategic technology rollout.

On the hospitality side, our team renewed and expanded an agreement with Hilton to manage sales and event processes.

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

Although Amadeus has a substantial presence in Thailand, I’m based here primarily for personal reasons and commute to Europe on a monthly basis as part of my Executive Committee responsibilities.

Bangkok offers numerous advantages: Thailand is remarkably affordable and the standard of living here is very high, particularly for expats; The country is modern with a well-developed infrastructure (and some occasional traffic); and Thailand’s rich culture provides an authentic Asian experience.

So, my hope is that the GC role in Thailand evolves by attracting fellow senior lawyers that choose to live here while serving global organisations based outside the country.

How important is choosing to work with external lawyers who align with your company’s values? Are you likely to reconsider what firms you work with based on this?

With ESG achieving greater prominence each day, it’s increasingly important that we work with firms that align with our organisation’s values. In particular, we prefer to engage firms that share our commitment to environmental responsibility, social equity, and strong governance, thereby reinforcing our dedication to upholding these values in our day-to-day work. We also see a reputational upside to working with firms that share our commitment to positive societal impact.