ALB Conversations: Rachel Yee, Head, Legal & Compliance, Singapore & Southeast Asia, Sembcorp Industries

by Mari Iwata |

Rachel Yee is head, legal and compliance, Singapore and Southeast Asia of Sembcorp Industries, an energy and urban development company. Having worked in the energy and utilities industry for 16 years, she thinks it’s important for her in-house team to go beyond the business-as-usual advisory and be able to keep learning.

ALB Conversations: Hiro Kato, General Counsel, Inpex

by Mari Iwata |

Hiro Kato, general counsel of Japan’s Inpex, talks about why it's important to follow the “Big Rules,” the importance of corporate culture to a flexible and non-hierarchical team like his, and how he never forgets that the legal industry is, in essence, a service industry.

ALB Conversations: Ong Johnson, Senior Group Legal Manager, i-Berhad

by Mari Iwata |

Ong Johnson, senior group legal manager of i-Berhad, shares how every legal decision he makes has a dual purpose, the importance of empathy, and why he always strives to be a “good and faithful servant.”

ALB Conversations: Dorothea Dian, General Counsel, Siemens Indonesia

by Mari Iwata |

Dorothea Dian, general counsel at Siemens Indonesia, speaks about why a company's culture sets the foundation for a cohesive and successful organisation, the ways in which her law firms could enhance their responsiveness and efficiency, and how she always seeks to thrive in the face of change.

ALB Conversations: Melissa Tan, Director, Legal, Doctor Anywhere

by Mari Iwata |

As director of legal at Doctor Anywhere, a fast-growing one-stop telehealth app provider in Southeast Asia, Melissa Tan leads an in-house team that guided the company through “unchartered” waters during the pandemic. In this interview, Tan speaks about how one of her biggest personal highlights is witnessing each team member grow, why openness in communication is key to impactful lawyering, and why being comfortable with ambiguity in the law is something she looks for in her hires.

ALB Conversations: Navrita Kaur, Chief Legal Officer, Microlink Solutions

by Mari Iwata |

Navrita Kaur, chief legal officer of Malaysian tech company Microlink Solutions, talks about how she encourages her team to have the mindset of adding value to the business, how the legal services landscape has changed since she went in-house, and why one should never have two thoughts in one sentence.

ALB CONVERSATIONS: Surabhi Madan, Senior Director and Global Legal Counsel, ASM

by Mari Iwata |

Surabhi Madan, senior director and global legal counsel of ASM, talks about how a culture of fear of making errors hinders independent thinking, why she looks to hire lawyers who can think like engineers, and what areas of expertise she wishes law firms had.

ALB CONVERSATIONS: Daniel Lo, chief legal officer, Cake Group

by Mari Iwata |

Daniel Lo is the chief legal officer of Cake Group, a Singapore-based decentralised finance platform. In this interview, he talks about he wants to break the stereotype of in-house lawyers being a blocker to business, why technology is the best friend for any lean legal team, and how great heights are reached only through hardship.

ALB Conversations: Takayuki Kitajima, Representative Executive Director and General Counsel, Unilever Japan

by Mari Iwata |

Takayuki Kitajima, representative executive officer and general counsel of Unilever Japan Holdings, discusses his strategy for the legal team, his approach to technology, and the secret to sustainable long-term cooperation with external law firms.

ALB Conversations: Jiyoung Won, Vice President & Lead Counsel, General Motors Korea

by Mari Iwata |

Jiyoung Won, lead counsel at General Motors Korea, shares about how her strategy for her legal team is fluid, creative, and yet uncompromising; what attributes she looks for when it comes to hiring; and why she wishes Korean law firms would adopt a more “out-of-the-box” mindset.