Team size: 28 

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

This fiscal year, I have spearheaded the implementation of a thorough and intensive regulatory risk assessment exercise and worked closely with all regulatory counsels from seven countries.  This risk assessment enabled us to identify and map out all regulatory and legal risks. We evaluated the impact and likelihood of the risks materialising in accordance with the risk rating mechanism we designed. The rating will help us determine the goals and timelines in terms of risk avoidance, mitigation or transfer. This method also enabled all legal heads to have a clear justification with business units on the change to operational and commercial processes and documentation. 

The implementation of this risk assessment exercise as part of our Group Regulatory Compliance Framework has allowed Ninja Van to tackle legal and regulatory risks in a cost-effective, organic and sustainable manner. This proactive approach not only ensures compliance but also significantly contributes to the Group’s EBIT. 

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

A general counsel should no longer be seen as a pure legal advisor in support function in the organisation. Going forward, they will serve as a strategic and influential partner to the executives, helping make decisions that protect the business while guiding growth and sustainability.  

GCs must be able to manage risks and provide insights when legal and regulatory concerns arise. That said, they must become comfortable playing a role in a vast range of other business units to locate these risks within the organisation and work closely with the stakeholders to mitigate or resolve them. It is beyond doubt that stronger risk management will significantly contribute to the organisation’s EBIT.  

How do you motivate and manage your legal team well? 

At Ninja Van, we have an in-house digital ticketing and workflow management solution to track and manage our legal team members workload and collect objective and accurate data on each team member’s response times and efficiency.  This system provides us a clear justification when it comes to assessing each member’s KPIs at the end of fiscal year.  

Each year, the group legal team will host an end-of-year all-hands legal sharing session with  

all existing legal team members to attend. Given that we operate similar businesses across seven countries, each country’s legal head will present informative cases and transactions they have handled over the past year. The session would give the team insights, innovations and useful information and often serve as semi-training materials, allowing legal team members to revisit, review, and crystallise ideas they can apply in their own work.  

Working across different countries can sometimes feel isolated, so an annual legal retreat is an excellent way to build a strong foundation and foster a close rapport among the country’s legal heads. At the end of the year, we will select a country for the retreat, travel there, and spend quality time together. This get-together not only strengthens our bond but also provides a dynamic in-person platform to discuss and brainstorm our legal framework strategy for the next financial year.