Events

Workshop Overview

The role of the legal counsel in leading their companies through corporate crisis is more critical than ever; the prevalence of cyberattacks, the increase in local and cross border regulatory enforcement, the growing influence and speed of new media, and the intricacy of third parties and supply chains, have compounded the complexities and pressure legal counsels face in a crisis.

For instance:

• You receive a call in the middle of the night that your company’s systems have been hacked; you’re locked out and you have 24 hours to decide if you pay a ransom before sensitive customer data floods the public domain.

• A member of your C-suite has been embroiled in a corruption scandal with a local high-ranking government official, which has the potential to cause irreparable reputation and legal damages. How do you manage the politics, the media, your employees, third parties, competitors and the investigation?

• An industrial accident has occurred at one of your company’s key industrial sites in South East Asia, causing significant environmental pollution and harm to surrounding villages. Key members of your local leadership have been detained by local authorities who won’t even let you on the site. There is immense pressure to act, but what is the right decision?

Join John Macpherson, Senior Partner at Control Risks, as he briefs then role-plays these hypotheticals in a workshop. Participants can expect an interactive session discussing their options and choices for each scenario, and hearing some of the actions Control Risks’ clients have taken in similar situations, the subsequent outcomes, and key lessons.

*This event is strictly for in-house counsel only.

*Shorts, t-shirts, bermudas and flip flops are not permitted in Maxwell Chambers.

Speaker Profile

John Macpherson, Senior Partner at Control Risks

John is the Senior Partner leading Control Risks' Asia Pacific practices for crisis response and recovery, cyber security, business protection and resilience solutions. John leads a team which specialises in crisis management and critical incident response, business continuity, strategic security and operational risk consulting, cyber and information security, security staffing support and protective services.

John has particular experience in advising companies how to successfully manage challenging political and regulatory environments, compliance and security issues. He is retained by clients to develop and execute strategic responses to crises and disputes, complex governance, operational risk and compliance reviews. John is one of the region’s leading experts in responding to regulatory investigations and in commercial and labour disputes.

Recent projects include:

• The critical incident response and recovery for a number of high-profile corruption and regulatory cases in the healthcare and automotive sectors in China.
• Strategic support to negotiate and resolve a number of large commercial and third party disputes for multinational companies in China.
• Cyber threat analysis and operational risk assessments in the financial services sector.
• Assisted a private equity client in responding to a targeted issue-motivated group campaign undermining domestic investment interests.

John was previously Head of Control Risks’ Greater China and North Asia business, based in Shanghai; Director of Crisis and Security Consulting for our China operations; General Manager in Hong Kong; and the Manager for Global Client Services for Australia Pacific. He has extensive experience developing and implementing crisis management plans, conducting enterprise vulnerability assessments, in stakeholder management and communication, and delivering training programmes. He has worked with senior executive management teams in the technologies, food and fast-moving consumer goods, finance, heavy manufacturing, healthcare and resource sectors.

John has a degree in social science (international relations) from the University of NSW and various qualifications in risk assessment.