In the increasingly complex world of compliance, Asia's top chief compliance officers are exhibiting strategic leadership and pioneering innovative approaches to ensure compliance while fortifying organizational resilience. Wendy Chan, head of business ethics and regional compliance officer for Asia Pacific at Chanel, has been recognized as one of the 2024 ALB Asia Top 15 Chief Compliance Officers for her commitment to compliance excellence.

Wendy Chan is the head of business ethics and regional compliance officer for Asia Pacific at Chanel, a role she has excelled in for 4.5 years. Chan established and led a dedicated compliance team in the APAC region, marking her as Chanel’s first compliance officer for this area since 2019. Her responsibilities include hosting the Regional Compliance Committee and reporting to senior management on compliance-related matters and investigations as a member of the APAC Legal Team’s Executive Leadership Committee.

Prior to her tenure at Chanel, Chan served as the general counsel and compliance director for McDonald’s Hong Kong from August 2016 to December 2019. In this capacity, she was the chief legal and compliance advisor, company secretary, and reported to the Board of Directors on the Audit Compliance Risk Management Committee. She was a litigator and is a qualified lawyer in HKSAR.

Under Chan’s leadership, the APAC Compliance team has successfully rolled out key policies and trainings, including those on gifts & hospitality, anti-trust, ethics, and anti-bribery and corruption. She has strategically aligned compliance initiatives with Chanel’s business objectives, particularly in sustainability. Her team works closely with indirect procurement and finance through the suppliers’ risk committee, which leads projects on supplier due diligence and following up on sustainability audits, thereby significantly advancing Chanel’s sustainability efforts. She has recently completed a course of Business Sustainability by the University of Cambridge.