Team size:  30 in legal and compliance 

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

Probably the most significant is the merger of Lotus’s and Makro retail and wholesale chains. As the Board of CP Axtra PLC recently announced, this would create a stronger entity in which the consolidation will help us plot a more efficient growth strategy. This change will streamline decision-making and give us efficiency and synergy value in serving our customers. The deal is still ongoing as of June 2024, but we can foresee that the business consolidation will strengthen both of our businesses and support the long-term of becoming a leader in the retail and wholesale markets in Thailand. 

Which recent political, economic or regulatory changes have impacted your work the most in recent years? 

Data privacy and the enforcement of the Thai data protection law by the regulators would be the first thing that comes to mind. In retail business, data is everywhere, leaving us with the challenge of protecting customers’ and colleagues’ personal data. We can expect to see more efforts from the regulators to control the collection, storage, and use of personal data, so it is important that we must remain vigilant to stay compliant. We have been more diligent with data privacy compliance programs and in educating our colleagues about data protection practices and how to recognise the various forms of potential risks and non-compliance. 

How do you motivate and manage your legal team well? 

I set clear expectations about quality of work output and pace of assignment completion. In addition, in order to encourage the team to go further and beyond, I give them my trust and support the team to take risks and learn new things. I recognise their contributions and let them take the lead as and when appropriate, and the credit for any successful assignments must go to the team (and I will have their backs if anything goes wrong!). To motivate the team, they must be valued and treated with dignity and empathy. 

Are the effects of AI on the legal world overplayed, or underplayed? 

The effects of AI on in-house legal departments are underplayed. I believe that technology can help lawyers to do more, and do it better, at a lower cost. In-house legal departments need to embrace technology and adapt quickly to the use of it. As businesses are now using AI, they expect management, including the legal department, to follow suit. Therefore, it is becoming critical that in-house lawyers get on board so that we are more valuable to the businesses and the new generation of managements. Additionally, law schools must step up their game and incorporate AI into their curriculum.