Anna Quah is Vice-President, Legal, Asia-Pacific at UPS, the world's biggest package delivery firm. Having started her career in private practice, first with Rajah & Tann, and then as a partner at Ang & Partners, Quah moved in-house after joining UPS in 2006. She assumed her current role in 2013, and this year was named as a winner of the Woman Lawyer of the Year (In-house) award at the ALB SE Asia Law Awards 2024. Quah, who describes herself as having become a “general counsel by accident,” is passionate about people development, mental health and fitness.
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ALB: Can you describe your career journey so far? What has been the most rewarding aspect of your current role?
Quah: I’d probably describe my career journey as “general counsel by accident.” Early on in my legal career, I’d envisaged myself as a litigation lawyer as I enjoyed the thrill and adrenaline rush of the courtroom. Eight years and two kids later, I decided to give in-house counsel life a go as an experiment for a year. It’s been close to 18 years with UPS now and I suppose the experiment is working well. Having swapped the courtroom with the boardroom, I realised that I still experienced a rush from putting a deal together and seeing it come to life – whether it is in the form establishing business presence in an emerging market or negotiating the design, construction and build of an airport facility. The most rewarding aspect of my current role as general counsel of the APAC region, has been each time my business partners and I looked around the room and recognised that collectively, and with grit and determination, we had just accomplished something spectacular. With the many amazing things that UPS does and has in the pipeline as a premium logistics service provider, that happens rather frequently and has been a major source of motivation in my career.
ALB: Can you describe your typical day or week as a general counsel?
Quah: Most general counsel will likely tell you that there is no such thing as a typical day or week, as each day brings different and unexpected challenges aka “opportunities”. Opening your inbox sometimes feels like opening a box of chocolates. There are certain constants in my routine though, particularly since I am very much a creature of habit. I usually try to get into the office early so that I can deal with emails that had come in overnight and dispatch matters that my team members will need to work on for the day. I then think through if there are any specific discussions I’ll need to have with people during the day – whether they are matter reviews or performance discussions or just general catch-up – so that I can start lining them up. I typically bring lunch in – partly because I am too lazy to head out but mostly as a time-saver. This is because fitness is very much a part of my lifestyle and so I usually leave the office early enough to get a good run or workout in, head home and try and catch a few precious minutes with my grown-up children.
“The most rewarding aspect of my current role as general counsel of the APAC region, has been each time my business partners and I looked around the room and recognised that collectively, and with grit and determination, we had just accomplished something spectacular.”
ALB: How do you balance the sometimes-competing interests of shareholders, customers, employees, and other stakeholders in your role?
Quah: This is a great question. Ideally, the interests and goals of all these stakeholders should align and that is how organisations go from good to great. I think once the shareholders get an authentic sense of the voice of the customers and their specific needs, and by adopting a customer-first mindset, the shareholders should naturally drive the organisation towards not just meeting, but exceeding, the customers’ expectations. In addition, in a company like UPS, where integrity is a core corporate value, it is not difficult to align company initiatives with the goal of the legal department to ensure compliance with applicable laws. This is particularly if the focus on compliance imperative is coupled with a sense of pragmatism and a problem-solving approach.
The next step then is to have the employees lined up along the same objectives as those of the customers and shareholders. I personally find that the general state of the employee mindset has changed over the years. This might well be an unpopular opinion – the “me versus the company” dynamic has gotten louder and brasher post-pandemic, potentially fuelled by the popularity of such rhetoric via social media. My goal as general counsel is to encourage my team to remember that the success of the company supports and enables their individual professional success as well. I have to say, and I am sure I am being entirely objective here, that my team has done exceedingly well in this regard as demonstrated by their securing a finalist spot in the Transportation & Logistics In-House Legal Team of the Year category at the recent ALB SE Asia Law Awards.
ALB: How do you think the legal profession, particularly at the executive level, can better address mental health challenges and promote a healthier work culture?
Quah: People sometimes forget that bosses are humans too. For those at the executive level, while we strive to promote a healthier work culture and facilitate a work-life balanced environment, let us remember that we deserve to be mentally healthy as well. Legal professionals and executives face specific mental health challenges that do not often get addressed. Perhaps there is the view that if we are at the top, we should be well equipped to just deal with it. I would urge us all to consider otherwise and have open conversations about this as a starting point. At an individual level, there are many things we can do to soothe the stresses of the day away – physical activity, creative expressions and maybe things as simple as a good meal or a nap. At UPS, I am the Executive Sponsor of the Singapore Employee Engagement Committee, which seeks to implement activities to promote our employees’ overall well-being and engagement.
I developed the personal motto of “Remember your why;” and my why has been - and always will be – my two children. If I find myself doing something that does not serve the purpose of being the mother my children deserve, I’ll gladly and graciously step away.
ALB: What advice would you give to aspiring lawyers or law students interested in pursuing a career in law?
Quah: To all our youth out there (not just those aspiring to be lawyers) - Enjoy your time as a student and as a young person (or young at heart). This is the part of your life where you are free to experiment with life choices and figure out your pathway. Despite how unforgiving or pressurizing you may perceive societal norms and expectations to be, there is no one set path to any destination. Focus on the journey, rather than where you think you ought to be. You might surprise yourselves as to where you may end up and you might even pick up a few lovely life stories along the way.
To those thinking of a career in law – make sure you enjoy the taste of coffee as you will need copious amounts of it.
ALB: What’s the best advice you have ever received? Or What motto do you live by?
Quah: The best advice I received was from my mother, who told me “Be kind to yourself.” I did not truly appreciate the significance of that when she said this to me as a young lawyer. But several years later and finding that I was at risk of a burnout, I realised that while constantly being a high achiever brought personal and professional success, if that also comes with the price of deflating from a burnout, I’d much rather take several steps back to take good care of myself so that I can enjoy a long career runway. That was when I developed the personal motto of “Remember your why;” and my why has been - and always will be – my two children. If I find myself doing something that does not serve the purpose of being the mother my children deserve, I’ll gladly and graciously step away.
