17 ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS – JUNE 2024 WWW.LEGALBUSINESSONLINE.COM COVER STORY DEBRA AU Head of Legal, Compliance and Secretariat Hong Kong and China, DBS Hong Kong Debra Au leverages her extensive expertise in legal, regulatory, and financial crime compliance to navigate complex regulatory environments effectively. Leading a team of over 110 professionals, she has a proven track record of transforming legal compliance into a strategic advantage. A notable example of Au’s leadership involved a situation where the institution faced heightened regulatory scrutiny regarding its Anti-Money Laundering (AML) framework. Recognising the risks and potential regulatory actions, Au initiated a comprehensive risk assessment to identify gaps in existing controls. Her thorough review led to the development of a state-ofthe-art compliance program, featuring updated policies and procedures aligned with the latest regulatory requirements and best practices. This program significantly mitigated risks and strengthened the organization’s compliance posture, reducing potential fines and enhancing risk management ratings. Au strategically aligns compliance initiatives with business objectives, transforming compliance from a regulatory requirement into a competitive advantage. Her efforts have positioned the firm as a trustworthy and reliable market player, boosting customer confidence and accelerating market penetration. To address unique compliance challenges, Au has championed the integration of advanced technologies such as AI and machine learning for real-time compliance monitoring. By deploying an AI-powered platform, she has enhanced the efficiency of compliance tracking and reporting, enabling the aggregation and analysis of data from multiple sources. Moreover, Au has built strong partnerships with regional regulators on sustainability audits, thereby significantly advancing Chanel’s sustainability efforts. She has recently completed a course of Business Sustainability by University of Cambridge. LI CHIAN SEE Managing Director and Asia Pacific Head of Compliance, Blackstone Group (HK) Limited Li Chian See, managing director and Asia Pacific head of compliance at Blackstone, is a respected figure in the industry. As Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager, expands its offerings and presence across the region, Ms. See helps ensure compliance excellence and risk mitigation. Ms. See oversees compliance for seven APAC markets, including Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Australia, South Korea, India and Mainland China. She has spearheaded the development of specialised, local compliance teams to better navigate the intricacies of each market while operating with the same standards of excellence. Her leadership and sound judgment have helped guide the firm across the region. She has implemented strategies that minimise risk and helped the firm successfully undergo various regulatory inspections. Under her guidance, the compliance team supports Blackstone’s business objectives and growth, providing timely and strategic advice on investments, regular trainings, and monitoring, and engages closely with regulators. The team also facilitates relationships with Blackstone’s Limited Partners, ensuring adherence to regulations and onboarding of new investors. Ms. See has fostered strong partnerships with regional regulators and industry bodies. She is a collaborative team player and a role model for her team, prioritising compliance and risk mitigation. and industry bodies, emphasising the importance of public-private partnerships (PPP). Her leadership highlights the value of combining public and private sector strengths to tackle complex challenges and promote sustainable development. WENDY CHAN Head of Business Ethics and Regional Compliance Officer for Asia Pacific, Chanel Limited 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 WINNER PROFILES
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