In the fast-paced world of Asian business, general counsel are emerging as key players in shaping corporate strategy. Gone are the days when these legal experts were confined to the sidelines of compliance and risk management. Today, they're at the forefront of innovation, building trust, and driving their organisations forward.

 

The role of general counsel in Asia's corporate world has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years. No longer just legal advisors, these professionals have become integral to strategic decision-making and organisational success. As we celebrate the leading general counsel across the region, we explore how they're redefining their roles and measuring their impact.

Beryl Sit of CITIC CLSA encapsulates this shift, emphasising that true success lies in nurturing a legal team that thrives on continuous learning and integrity. Similarly, Alex Au of Link Asset Management highlights the transformative power of collaboration, where legal advice becomes a catalyst for business innovation. This paradigm shift is echoed by Vernon Samuel at Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, who measures success through alignment with strategic goals, ensuring that legal frameworks serve as enablers rather than obstacles. Thu Thien Pham of B Grimm Power emphasises the importance of legal skills to advance a company’s vision.

Through their insights, we can uncover the key performance indicators that matter most, the strategies employed to stay ahead of the curve, and the delicate balance between quantitative metrics and qualitative assessments.

MEASURING SUCCESS

The role of general counsel has evolved beyond traditional reputation management and risk mitigation.

According to Beryl Sit, legal head of CITIC CLSA's global investment banking business, success involves actively elevating the firm's reputation and brand as a trusted and proficient partner for all our clients and stakeholders.

She also emphasises the importance of building an effective legal team.

“Achieving success requires proficient leadership in effectively guiding and nurturing a legal team that consistently engages in learning and upskilling to keep pace with the ever-evolving market and regulatory landscape. As a leader, it is crucial to uphold integrity, as team members will trust and follow a leader who demonstrates unwavering integrity,” Sit adds.

Alex Au, director of legal (corporate and investment) at Link Asset Management, measures his legal team's success by their level of involvement in the organisation's business decision-making process.

“This shows the level of trust we have in each other and it requires a lot of work and proactiveness to foster a true business partnership between the legal function and other functions,” Au says.

 

“Quality legal advice is essential but, with a high level of trust among different functions, we can achieve even more for the organisation because our advice and solution would much better suit the needs of relevant business units and the overall corporate strategy.”

- Alex Au, Link Asset Management

 

“Quality legal advice is essential but, with a high level of trust among different functions, we can achieve even more for the organisation because our advice and solution would much better suit the needs of relevant business units and the overall corporate strategy,” he adds.

Vernon Samuel, general counsel at Mercedes-Benz Malaysia agrees, saying he measures his success “by evaluating how effectively I contribute to the company's strategic goals while safeguarding its legal and ethical standards.”

“Key indicators of success include the ability to provide timely, practical legal advice that facilitates sound business decisions and minimises risk. I also consider the successful resolution of legal matters, the proactive identification and mitigation of potential risks and the overall legal health of the company as crucial accomplishments,” Samuel adds.

Another key measurement of success is the ability of the legal team to drive forward the company’s vision and goals.

Thu Thien Pham, senior legal manager at B.Grimm Power, focuses on solar rooftop and renewable energy projects. She defines success as “effectively contributing to our mission of advancing sustainable energy.”

“This means not just managing legal risks, but actively enabling our renewable initiatives to thrive within a complex regulatory landscape. By providing strategic legal support, I help turn our vision of a greener future into reality, ensuring every project we build is a step toward a more sustainable world,” she adds.

 

 

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Achieving a team's goals requires a continuous cycle of monitoring, refining, and measuring performance within the legal ranks. This process goes beyond simply ticking boxes; it's about cultivating a culture where time equates to tangible progress.

Au acknowledges that while legal work is primarily qualitative, he implements quantitative KPIs that link individual objectives to corporate goals, such as investment value.

Pham also looks at certain quantitative measures to provide a comprehensive view of the legal team’s performance and areas for enhancement.

“We monitor contract turnaround time to ensure swift support for business operations, reflecting our ability to handle contracts efficiently. Legal risk mitigation is tracked by the number of risks identified and managed before they escalate, showcasing proactive risk management. The compliance rate is another critical KPI, measuring how effectively we maintain regulatory alignment,” she explains.

At Mercedes-Benz, Samuel focuses on a mix of qualitative and quantitative evaluation.  Turnaround time for legal support and business alignment of legal advice are crucial KPIs to measure a legal team’s effectiveness.

“We assess how effectively our legal team provides proactive, pragmatic and business-oriented advice that aligns with the company’s strategic goals. This involves obtaining feedback from our internal clients to ensure our guidance not only addresses current needs but also anticipates potential challenges and opportunities. By staying ahead of issues and offering forward-thinking solutions, we can help the business achieve its objectives more efficiently,” he says.

Au also stresses on the importance of feedback from internal (other business units) and external ( external counsel, regulators) stakeholders. 

“A fundamental difference between a successful in-house legal function and external legal advisers is that, in addition to a strong technical ability, the former has to come up with advice and solutions that are practical and useful to the business and be seen as a good business partner to the stakeholders with whom we work,” he explains.

Sit names three important performance indicators she uses to evaluate her team’s performance at CITIC CLSA.

“First, given that we are an investment bank dealing with a wide range of deals across various jurisdictions, problem-solving skills which require “outside the box” thinking is essential to overcome challenges and successfully execute deals.”

Second, she assesses how ‘partnerable’ each team member is. “Effective communication and information sharing are vital to ensure nothing falls through the cracks. It is important that each team member actively engages with others, avoiding working in isolation and remaining aware of the progress and activities of the entire team,” Sit says.

Third, she values legal team members who take initiative and continuously look to upskill themselves. “By actively seeking opportunities to learn and grow, lawyers in my team will be able to position themselves to take on more responsibilities over time. This proactive approach to self-improvement allows me to delegate tasks with confidence and build a stronger and more capable team,” she adds.

AHEAD OF THE CURVE

While performance indicators are crucial, the real challenge lies in implementing changes to address identified issues and shaping the legal team into well-engineered units essential to the organisation's business verticals.

Sit emphasises that understanding the business's strategic goals is key to this process.

“By understanding these goals, we can tailor our advice to deliver value-driven legal solutions. We maintain close contact with external law firms, regulators, compliance and business colleagues, recognising that each interaction with these partners presents a valuable learning opportunity, enabling our team to enhance our capabilities to effectively address complex legal issues,” she explains.

“I also like to keep my team involved, interested and inspired at all times by offering each lawyer in my team diverse assignments and exposure to different types of projects. This approach ensures my team remains engaged and motivated to excel in their roles, thereby contributing to the overall success of the business,” Sit adds.

Pham also adds that continuous learning and building sector-specific expertise is the crucial step in building an effective legal team.

“In B.Grimm Power’s legal department, we prioritise ongoing training to keep the team updated on the latest legal developments and industry changes. We also stay informed about industry trends in renewable energy, particularly legal updates to ensure our legal strategies align with sector innovations and regulatory changes,” Pham says.

“Enhancing expertise is a priority, with ongoing professional development and specialised training in renewable energy regulations to build deeper legal knowledge. My next year plan is to allocate to each member of our legal department a sector that this member would focus on,” she adds.

Besides strategic alignment with business goals, upskilling and building a culture of learning, adopting technological advancements and cross-collaboration culture are also key to building a well-oiled legal unit, says Samuel.

“Embracing legal technology will be a priority. Implementing advanced tools for contract management, artificial intelligence, compliance and legal research will enhance our efficiency and accuracy. This will enable us to streamline processes, reduce costs and stay ahead of industry trends,” Samuel says.

“Building strong partnerships within the company will be essential. By fostering open communication and collaboration between the legal team and other business units, we will enhance our ability to provide practical, business-oriented solutions that support overall company objectives,” he adds.

Overall, the big trend common among all top GCs is the innate need to stay proactive and not just reactive, in alignment with business needs.

“The legal function will continue to evolve and grow together with the business but on top of that, we strive to not only follow what the business may require, but to get ahead and enable future business development,” Au says.

“Keeping ourselves very close to the latest business strategy and initiatives helps us visualise what the business may need in the future from the legal, regulatory and compliance perspectives, so that we can prepare ahead and come up with plans to enable future development in the most effective and efficient way,” he adds.