JUDGING PANEL

Each year, ALB invites an independent judging panel of senior and expert legal industry leaders from various sectors corresponding to the diverse list of award categories. ALB is pleased to list some of the distinguished judges. The rest of the panel will be revealed on the evening of the awards. 

(This page will be continuously updated. Stay tuned!)

 
Aaron Matthews
President, Malaysian Institute of Arbitrators

Throughout his career, Aaron Mathews has had extensive experience in handling various civil and commercial litigation both as solicitor and counsel. His portfolio includes advisory and drafting work in relation to company law issues, litigation involving shareholders, contract & commercial disputes, land disputes, as well as disputes concerning the fields of construction, engineering and oil & gas.

An enduring ethos of Aaron is to give back to the community. To that end, Aaron has always volunteered his time, on a pro bono basis, as counsel in native title claims brought by the ‘Orang Asli’ in Peninsular Malaysia. Aaron is also currently the President of the Malaysian Institute of Arbitrators (MIArb)

Abdul Fareed Bin Abdul Gafoor 
Past President, The Malaysian Bar
 
Adliza Abdullah
Senior General Counsel, Weststar Aviation Services Sdn Bhd

Called to the Bar in 1993. A licenced Company Secretary and qualified Certified Integrity Officer (CeIO). Have served the Government of Malaysia, Golden Hope Plantations Berhad, Sime Darby Berhad, DRB Hicom Berhad and EPIC Berhad prior to her current 10 year tenure with Weststar. 
 

Andrew Mercer
General Counsel & Director of Legal Affairs, Asian Football Confederation (AFC)

Andrew is a UK-qualified lawyer with extensive experience in the football sector. He started his legal career in private practice at leading international firm, Slaughter and May, in London in 2006, specialising in IP/commercial matters and advising a range of corporate clients (including Premier League football clubs).

In 2010, Andrew moved to the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) in Switzerland, where he stayed for over 7 years. At UEFA, Andrew initially provided legal support in commercial matters as a member of the Marketing Legal Services unit (advising on IP, sponsorship and licensing contracts) but later joined UEFA’s Disciplinary Services unit, specialising in football-specific regulatory and disciplinary matters (including financial fair play, club licensing, general disciplinary and anti-doping cases).

In 2017, Andrew joined the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as Deputy Legal Director and Head of the Sports Legal Services, Disciplinary and Governance unit, which provides legal expertise in disciplinary, regulatory and governance matters. In May 2020, Andrew took on the role of AFC General Counsel & Legal Director. He is the chief legal officer of the AFC, with responsibility for the supervision and management of the AFC’s legal function and all legal activities undertaken by the organisation (namely IP/commercial matters, corporate legal affairs, integrity, disciplinary, governance and regulatory matters, as well as the AFC’s medical function).

Andrew is a member of the judicial panel of the English Football Association (The FA) and an arbitrator at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)

Balbeer Singh Jessy 
Deputy President, The Sports Law Association of Malaysia
 

Carolyn Chua
Head of Legal - Greater Asia and Greater China Markets, HP

Chyi Chern Tee
General Counsel - Asia, Synthomer

Chyi Chern is the General Counsel, Asia of Synthomer, a leading supplier and manufacturer of specialty chemicals headquartered in London and listed on the London Stock Exchange since 1971. With more than 30 manufacturing sites and 5 innovation centres of excellence globally, Synthomer serves more than 6,000 blue-chip customers in key sectors such as coatings, construction, adhesives, and health and protection – growing markets that serve billions of end users worldwide.

Chyi Chern established the Legal & Compliance corporate function of Synthomer in Asia, which has been supporting the group’s global businesses in the Asia Pacific region since 2017. She is part of the global Legal, Corporate Secretarial and Compliance leadership team since 2018. She is also member of the regional executive leadership team, as well as the global legal business partner to the Health & Protection and Performance Materials Business Division, one of the three global business divisions of Synthomer.

Prior to Synthomer, Chyi Chern was in private practice with one of the largest regional law firm in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and her areas of expertise include cross border corporate and commercial transactions, foreign direct investments, mergers and acquistions and regulatory compliance. Chyi Chern graduated with an LL.B. from Cardiff University, UK. She was admitted to the Bar of England & Wales and the Malaysian Bar. She is a member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, UK.
 

 
Faizah Ahmad
Head of Group Legal, Terangganu Inc. Sdn Bhd

Faizah Ahmad serves as the Vice President and Head of Group Legal at Terengganu Incorporated Sdn. Bhd. (Terengganu Inc), a strategic investment holding company managing and monitoring business entities and investment assets on behalf of the State Government of Terengganu.

She joined Terengganu Inc. in November 2016, bringing over 15 years of experience in the legal field. Faizah earned her Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) with honors from UiTM Shah Alam and was admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur in 2002. She began her career as a litigation lawyer with Messrs V Siva and Partners in Kuala Lumpur.

Prior to her tenure at Terengganu Inc., Faizah held significant roles in various government-linked and public-listed companies, including Johor Corporation, Metroplex Berhad, Patimas Computers Berhad, and the Employees Provident Fund Board (EPF). She also served as a Senior Prosecutor at the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) for seven years, gaining extensive experience in prosecution matters. In 2014, she transitioned to the corporate sector as Legal Counsel for a multinational company, CTC Global Sdn Bhd, overseeing legal affairs for Malaysia and Singapore.

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Fei Meng Chee
Independent Non-Executive Director, Hong Leong Investment Bank Bhd

Fei Meng has about 30 years experience in corporate finance, capital markets and securities regulations having served as a legal practitioner, in house counsel in a Malaysian conglomerate, a partner in Zaid Ibrahim & Co (now known as ZICO Law), an equity capital markets banker and as a regional head of legal in CIMB Group prior to serving as the General Counsel and Executive Director of the Securities Commission Malaysia from April 2019 to June 2022.

Fei Meng holds a Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Laws, both awarded by Monash University Australia and is qualified as Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria as well as an Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya.

She is currently serving on the board of Hong Leong Investment Bank Berhad as an independent non-executive director.
 

Ida Suryati Ab. Rahim
Group General Counsel , IHH Healthcare

Ida Suryati is Group General Counsel IHH Healthcare, one of the world’s largest healthcare networks, with more than 80 hospitals in 10 countries.  She holds this position since joining IHH in 2019 and leads the IHH Group’s legal function located in Malaysia, Singapore, India, China and Hong Kong.

She obtained a Degree in Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from National University of Malaysia in 1996 and was admitted to the High Court of Malaya as an advocate and solicitor in 1997. She also obtained Master of Law (LLM)(Commercial) from University of Cambridge, United Kingdom in 2014 and Master of Law (LLM) from University of Malaya, Malaysia in 2005.

She brings with her more than 25 years of experience through various leadership and managerial positions she held in legal and company secretarial roles in agribusiness, oil and gas and fast moving consumer goods companies. As general counsel, she has been involved in major projects, including initial public offers and listing, international mergers and acquisitions exercise, capital market and fund raising transactions, corporate restructuring and financing, industrial relations matters, dispute resolutions and management of corporate and commercial litigations in international jurisdictions. She also advises on corporate governance related matters, corporate disclosures and compliance with the Malaysia and Singapore stock exchange rules and regulations. 
 

Dr Ibtisam @ Ilyana Ilias
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Universiti Teknologi MARA

Dr Ibtisam @ Ilyana Ilias is currently a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Universiti Teknologi MARA. She obtained her Ph.D. in Law from International Islamic University Malaysia and her Master of Laws (LL.M) from University of Malaya. She holds her Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from International Islamic University Malaysia. Her research interests lie in the field of consumer law particularly financial consumer protection, commercial law and Islamic banking. She actively involves in various research projects globally and locally. Before joining the university, she was an Assistant Manager at Bank Muamalat Malaysia Berhad. She served for six years in different departments including Legal Department, Risk Management Department, Product Development Department and Consumer Banking Division. 

Jagdeep Kaur
General Counsel, Capital A Berhad (AirAsia)

General Counsel with over 25 years of experience across various industries ranging from airline, fintech and e-commerce amongst others. Strong knowledge of legal framework in the regional and global remit. Skilled in contract negotiations, dispute resolution as well as M&A transactions and leads strategic transactions. As a firm believer of continuous learning, currently also drives ESG initiatives and digitalisation of the legal profession (AI).

Jill Yow
Senior Vice President – Strategy & Development, Valiram

Jill has over two decades of experience spanning both private practice and in-house counsel roles. She began her career at Shook Lin & Bok, specialising in Intellectual Property disputes, enforcement and protection before transitioning into the corporate sector. She has since held key legal leadership positions in multinational corporations, including Siemens and General Electric, where she gained diverse industry experience across industry automation, infrastructure, healthcare, energy services and power generation sectors in the Asia-Pacific region.

Currently, Jill is the Chief Legal Officer at Valiram, one of APAC’s leading luxury and lifestyle retail specialists. In this role, she develops legal strategies and implements robust legal frameworks that foster business growth while ensuring regulatory integrity. Throughout her career, she has been instrumental in negotiating complex, high-value commercial agreements, mitigating legal risks and shaping corporate governance policies.

Jill has been recognised for her contributions having been named in the inaugural Legal 500 GC Powerlist Malaysia 2023 and her expertise and leadership were also acknowledged in the Legal 500 GC Powerlist South East Asia Teams 2023.
 

Jessica Man
Head of Legal & Compliance – Malaysia, Airbus

Jessica Man is the Head of Legal & Compliance - Malaysia at Airbus and manages all legal and compliance matters pertaining to Airbus subsidiaries, joint ventures, trade relations and all Airbus business activities in Malaysia.

Prior to joining Airbus, Jessica has also served as General Counsel at a major airline company with operations coverage across APAC, the Middle East and North America. She has also previously practised law in the areas of M&A and corporate/commercial with large, established Malaysian law firms.

Jessica is a qualified advocate and solicitor in Malaysia and solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales.

Mahendran Gnasamoothy
Group General Counsel, Dagang NeXchange Berhad (“DNeX”)

 

Melissa Chia
General Counsel, L’Oreal Malaysia & Singapore

Melissa Chia is the General Counsel for L’Oréal Malaysia & Singapore, leading the legal, compliance and corporate secretarial functions in both countries. The L’Oréal Group is a global leader in the beauty industry, offering a diverse portfolio of cosmetics, skincare, hair care and fragrance products tailored to consumers.

Melissa plays a crucial role in navigating the legal, contractual and compliance landscape of L’Oréal's fast-paced and dynamic retail business. She has been instrumental in the acquisition and integration of new brands. Known for her well-rounded perspective and practical approach, she is a strong business partner skilled at achieving balanced outcomes in transactions.

Melissa is passionate about developing counsels and equipping them with future-ready skills such as legal engineering and the ability to leverage AI and legal technology. She believes these skills will enable them to advance professionally and drive value for themselves and the company. She has been recognized in the GC Powerlist Southeast Asia (2022 and 2024) and the GC Powerlist Malaysia (2023).
 

 
Mohd Jamizal Zainol 
Chairman, Policy and Economic Affairs of Malaysia Foundation (Yayasan Peace)

Mohd Jamizal is currently a Chairman of the Policy and Economic Affairs of Malaysia Foundation (Yayasan Peace) and Deputy Chairman of TRADISI. He is also the company secretary and legal adviser for TotalEnergies Malaysia.

He was a Federal Counsel at the International Affairs Division, Attorney General’s Chambers, Malaysia, from 2002 until 2005. He was in charge of the Human Rights Unit dealing with International Organizations: the United Nations, Commonwealth, Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), Asian African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO) and ASEAN.

During his sojourn in the Attorney General’s Chambers, he was entrusted to represent the Attorney General’s Chambers in various meetings at the national and international levels. He was a member of the Malaysia UNESCO Committee for Information and legal affairs, tasked to formulate policies on information and legal affairs for Malaysia’s effective participation in UNESCO. He also represented Malaysia at the 6th Committee (Legal Affairs) of the United Nations General Assembly for 2003 and 2004. In 2005 and 2006, he was entrusted to represent Malaysia at the United Nations Working Group to formulate the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

At OIC, he represented the Attorney General Chambers at the Conference of Foreign Ministers in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Yemen. In addition, he was involved in reviewing human rights conventions in Islam under the auspices of OIC, namely the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Islam. In 23 July 2024, he received IIUM Alumni Community Engagement Award 2024 in conjunction with International Islamic University Malaysia Takrim Day 2024
 

Natisha Zainol Rashid 
General Counsel and Director of Corporate Affairs, Mahkota Technologies Sdn Bhd

Natisha heads the Corporate & Legal Services for Mahkota Technologies Sdn. Bhd. and it’s Group of Companies (formerly known as GEC Malaysia). Her portfolio covers all legal advisory compliance and regulatory matters for Mahkota Group of Companies. She also leads negotiations with clients and strategic business partners on corporate matters and commercial contract negotiations which mainly involves power, energy, utility,  telecommunication and transportation industries. As legal representative for Mahkota Group of Companies, Natisha is involved in major projects such as the nationwide Smart Meters roll out project for Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), the development of Large Scale Solar project (LSS) for Energy Commission Malaysia, construction of TNB’s High Voltage Substations and engine maintenance of navy vessels for Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA). She is also involved in commercial dealings with multinational corporations including Sagemcom (France), Fincantieri S.p.A (Italy), Doppelmayr Group (Austria), MAN (Germany) and FiberHome (China) to name a few.

Prior to holding the in-house role, she had extensive law practise exposure at renowned legal firms namely Messrs. Zul Rafique & Partners, Messrs. Salehuddin Saidin & Associates and Messrs. Raja Riza & Associates. While in practise, Natisha mainly handles general litigation and corporate advisory matters involving various areas of law. 
Natisha holds a Bachelor Degree in laws from International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and Masters Degree in Commercial Law from UiTM.

Phyllis Tay Yen Sin
Chief Strategy Officer & General Counsel, OCR Group Berhad
 

Roger Morris Harwood
General Counsel, Bumi Armada Berhad

Roger was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand in 1988 and as a Solicitor of England and Wales in 2006. He has over 35 years of international experience in commercial legal advisory work and has held senior management roles in the oil and gas industry. He has worked in both upstream E&P and within the full spectrum of the oil & gas services sector.

After qualifying and working in private practice in New Zealand, Roger moved to the UK in 1991 where he began a 20-year career with Hess Corporation. During this time, he advised Hess on its developments in North West Europe, South America, South East Asia, Australia, Africa and Central Asia. From 2001-2004 Roger was based in Hess’s KL office, where he established a regional legal team for the group. Prior to joining Bumi Armada, Roger was the Group Head of Legal at Petrofac in London.

Roger returned to Malaysia in 2020 to join Bumi Armada, an international offshore energy facilities and services provider with its core business in the FPSO sector. As General Counsel he has primary responsibility for the Legal, Contract Management, Compliance and Corporate Secretarial functions. He provides direction, solutions and advice to the Board and Management on all aspects of legal, regulatory and contractual risk

Roslina Ismail
General Counsel and Corporate Affairs Officer, Pos Malaysia Berhad
 

Shogo Osaka
Managing Director, Legal Operations - Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, FedEx

Shogo Osaka is Managing Director, Legal Operations for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) at FedEx, where he leads a dynamic team of legal professionals across the region, including Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul and Taipei.

Shogo is passionate about optimizing corporate inhouse legal services and processes by adopting new technologies. His innovative approach has earned him the title of In-House Lawyer of the Year at the Asian Legal Business Hong Kong Law Awards 2022. Under his leadership, his team has also won various awards such as Outstanding Legal Innovator Award 2023 from Asia-Pacific Legal Innovation & Technology Association.

In addition to his professional achievements, Shogo has been involved in developing young talent through university-industry collaboration with the University of Hong Kong. This initiative was recognized as the 2022 Legal Innovation in Operations project by Corporate Legal Operations Consortium, among others.

Before joining FedEx, Shogo worked at Freshfields in the Shanghai and Tokyo offices, where he supported multinational clients’ cross-border transactions, including secondment to Japan Bank for International Cooperation, a governmental financial institution.

Shogo is admitted to practice law in Japan and hold both a Bachelor of Laws and a Master in Laws degrees from the University of Tokyo.

Datuk Professor Sundra Rajoo
President, Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution

Datuk Professor Sundra Rajoo is the current President, Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution (AIADR), Past Director, Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) (2010-2018; 2023-2024), Past President of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (2016), Past Deputy Chairman, FIFA Adjudicatory Chamber (2018) and Past President of the Asia Pacific Regional Arbitration Grouping (APRAG) (2012). He is the Founding and first Presidents of the Society of Construction Law Malaysia, the Sports Law Association of Malaysia, the Malaysia Society of Adjudicators.

He is trained and are involved in Law, multiple professions. He is also a Member of the Advisory Committee of the International Commercial Dispute Prevention and Settlement Organisation (ICDPASO); Expert Advisory Committee of the International Dispute Prevention and Settlement, Beijing Institute of Technology; Past Member of the International Commercial Expert Committee of the International Commercial Court of the Supreme People’s Court of China. He was a Pioneer member of the Monetary Review Committee (2016-2019) as appointed by the Malaysian Finance Minister under the Banking & Financial Institutions Act, 1989 (BAFIA) for 2 terms. He was also an Independent and Non-Executive Director of Malaysian Cement Sdn Bhd for 2 terms. The Government of Malaysian appointed him as a Member of the Sulu Arbitration Task Force in 2022.

He was first appointed as arbitrator since 1990. Has served as Presiding Arbitrator, Co-arbitrator of three-member panels and sole arbitrator in over 300 international and domestic arbitrations including ad hoc and institutional arbitrations like ICC, SIAC, HKIAC, PCA etc with over 310 appointments in international and domestic arbitration. He has been conferred the Panglima Jasa Negara, which carries the title "Datuk," by His Majesty the Malaysian King on 2nd June 2012 for distinguished services and contributions to the State and Nation - Malaysia. He has also been recognised as Awarded the Leading International Arbitrator Award 2023 by the Asia Pacific Centre for Arbitration and Mediation (APCAM).

Thavakumar Kandiahpillai
Managing Director and Group Head of Advisory and Business Centre of Excellence , MBSB Bank Berhad.

Thavakumar was called to the English and Malaysian bars and practised law until 2000, when he joined Shell Malaysia where he became General Counsel. He then moved to Sapura and Digital Nasional Berhad before taking on his current role as Managing Director and Group Head of Advisory and Business Centre of Excellence at MBSB Bank Berhad.  
 

Thomas Delaye-Fortin
Head of Legal and Governance, Badminton World Federation (BWF)

Based in Kuala Lumpur, Thomas Delaye-Fortin is Head of Legal and Governance for the Badminton World Federation (BWF) where his practice focuses on sports governance and integrity. Prior to joining BWF, Thomas was Manager of Legal Affairs for the World Anti-Doping Agency, and has since continued to be involved in sports integrity and governance. Thomas is a member of the Bar of Québec (Canada) since 2010, having graduated from the University of Sherbrooke and subsequently obtained an MBA from INSEAD, in Singapore.
 

Yin Ee Ong
Head, Group Legal, Compliance and Risk Management, Warisan TC Holdings

Yin Ee takes on a huge set of responsibilities for Warisan TC Holdings Berhad, a conglomerate with main activities in automotive, machinery, travel, car rental and consumer products. As well as being general manager and head of group legal, compliance and risk management, she also functions as the group integrity officer, group sustainability liaison officer and the designated compliance officer for the Group's insurance company. Alongside legal and regulatory advice, she is a trusted advisor on the Group’s activities both in Malaysia and abroad, particularly in the areas of risk management, sustainability, anti- bribery and corruption as well as anti-money laundering.

Yin Ee has over 20 years of working experience in private practice, financial and automotive industries. Prior to working with Warisan, she was with Tan Chong Motor Holdings Berhad, OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad, Hong Leong Financial Group and Bank Berhad. She has international experience, having worked at Hong Leong Bank Vietnam Limited for eight years and supported Hong Leong Bank’s investment in China.
 

Yohan Thomas
General Counsel, Kaneka Companies Malaysia

Yohan Thomas is a seasoned legal professional with over 15 years of experience in corporate law, regulatory compliance, litigation, and risk management. He currently serves as General Counsel, overseeing legal and compliance functions across multiple business units in the petrochemical industry at Kaneka Corporation’s Malaysian subsidiary, a global Japanese manufacturer specializing in diversified materials and chemicals.

Previously, he served as Head of Legal & Internal Compliance at the same organization, where he was responsible for developing and implementing comprehensive legal and regulatory frameworks for the Malaysian subsidiary. His role now extends beyond Malaysia, overseeing legal affairs for subsidiaries across the ASEAN region.

Before transitioning in-house, Yohan practiced as an Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya, specializing in corporate and commercial litigation, dispute resolution, and advisory work for various institutions and multinational corporations. His expertise includes corporate governance, contract negotiations/drafting, fraud investigations, and regulatory compliance across industries such as manufacturing, automotive, and finance.

A member of the Malaysian Bar since 2008, Yohan brings a wealth of knowledge and strategic insight into legal risk mitigation and corporate legal advisory, making him a valued contributor to the legal profession

And many more...