World Mental Health Day – In conversation with Patrick Tay and others on having compassionate conversations and engaging proactively mindful practices in the workplace.

Hybrid Event

Physical Venue: ZICO Law Offices (77 Robinson Road, #06-03 Robinson 77, Singapore 068896) 

What is this all about?

This is the second in a series of SCCA events on the being well in the inhouse legal community. The session Axiom co-hosted with SCCA to be held on 30th September 2022, comprised a round table discussion on Building a Well and Resilient Legal Team with David McVeigh, CEO Axiom, Stanley Park MD and Head of Legal Scotiabank Global Banking and Geeta Thakerar, co-convenor of SCCA Well Being Chapter.  

This session on having compassionate conversations and engaging proactively with mindful practices in the workplace

will continue the conversation and in particular focus on how to get your team to open up and engage on how they feel so that an early intervention can be made by legal leaders.  Patrick Tay (NTUC) and Brian Henderson (Whole Business Wellness) respectively, will set the scene and THE context for this conversation.

Following this there will be a fireside chat with the panel. The latter comprises Patrick Tay (NTUC), Chongjin Ng (Fullerton Health) and managing partner of Zico Law, Hanim Hamzah, providing rich and diverse experiences of managing teams and their wellbeing, as well as self-care strategies being practiced as legal leaders.

The panel will share insights and some personal experiences through their respective journeys. The panel will also share highlights of key challenges within the legal sector in Singapore and region from inhouse as well as private practice. In particular looking at some strategies to adopt in whole or in part with the business moderated by Greg Tanner International SOS.

What participants will take away?

• Develop an understanding about building compassionate conversations
• Equip lawyers with tools/techniques that can be used every day to bring about well-being in the workplace.
• Leveraging compassionate conversations to help to build resilience
• Learn from others what has worked and how to tackle issues through shared learnings from the rich panel debate/ and sharing session.
• Come to terms personally – some may experience ahhaah moments.
• Start to build an action plan well-being and how it can be applied to lawyers.

Post event light refreshments and networking till 2pm

Format:

• Introductions by moderator Greg Tanner (5mins)
• Keynote opening by Patrick Tay (15 minutes).
• Reflections and remarks by Brian Hendersonfocusing onmanaging compassionate conversations and deploying mindful practices in the workplace (15minutes)
• Followed by a “fireside” chat with a panel comprising Patrick Tay (NTUC), Chongjin Ng (Fullerton Health) and managing partner of Zico Law, Hanim Hamzah, providing rich and diverse experiences of managing teams and their wellbeing as well as self-care strategies being practiced as legal leaders, personal experiences and sharing respective journeys, and to include highlighting some key challenges within the legal sector in Singapore and regional legal/compliance officers inhouse. In particular looking at some strategies to adopt in whole or in part with the business moderated by Greg Tanner International SOS. (total panel discussion time around 35 minutes).  
• Group debate to include Q&A as well as a short wrap up of key takeaways (10 minutes).

Moderator

Greg is the Group General Counsel of International SOS and manages a global team of over 45 professionals responsible for among other things, mergers and acquisitions, contracts, compliance, litigation, data protection and assurance, insurance, corporate secretarial, internal security and other legal and risk management related matters.

Greg is a lawyer admitted to practice in New York by the Supreme Court of the State of New York, in England and Wales by the Supreme Court of Judicature of England and Wales and in France by the Ordre des Avocats de Paris. Greg has practiced at two of the world’s largest law firms, Clifford Chance in London, Luxemburg and Singapore, and White & Case in New York, Singapore, Jakarta and Paris.

Prior to that, Greg headed the Legal Department in Asia Pacific for Informix Software, and then spent 12 years with DHL Worldwide Express. In his last position with DHL in Asia, Greg was the Director of Legal & Regulatory Affairs and a Member of the DHL Asia Pacific Management Board. Greg was assigned by DHL to Brussels and Bonn as Senior Vice President in charge of Global Organizational Effectiveness, which position he held until 2010 after which he joined International SOS in Singapore as their worldwide Group General Counsel.

Speakers

Mr Patrick Tay is the Assistant Secretary-General of NTUC and Member of Parliament of Pioneer SMC. He chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education and co-chairs the Financial Sector Tripartite Committee. As Director of NTUC’s Legal Services and Strategy Departments, he represents the Labour Movement in tripartite workgroups to review/update employment and industrial relations legislation and has been pivotal in lobbying for the many changes to manpower related laws and policies in Singapore. He also co-chaired the NTUC-SNEF PME Taskforce and is the Executive Secretary for the United Workers of Electronics & Electrical Industries and the Singapore Manual & Mercantile Workers’ Union (SMMWU). He also advises all the NTUC-affiliated unions in Singapore, and has represented numerous unions/members in complex and contentious issues, dispute resolution, conciliation and in the Industrial Arbitration Court (IAC)

Ng Chong Jin is Group General Counsel at Fullerton Health Corporation, one of Asia Pacific’s leading vertically integrated healthcare service provider. Chong Jin joined Fullerton in 2018 and also looks after the risk management function for the Group.      

Prior to joining Fullerton, Chong Jin was Assistant General Counsel at GlaxoSmithKline from 2010 to early 2018. He had formerly held positions as Senior Counsel, Medical Diagnostics and Life Science Division for Asia Pacific at GE Healthcare from 2008 to 2010, and Legal Director (South Asia) for Merck from 2003 to 2007.

Chong Jin holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree from National University of Singapore and is an Advocate & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore.

Brian founded Whole Business Wellness in 2020 to provide multi-disciplinary wellness services to organisations using applied mindfulness, resilience building, experiential learning, culture change, design thinking and 30 years of business leadership experience to build wellness capabilities and thriving cultures. Previously, Brian was Chief Operating Officer at Baker McKenzie and at Linklaters in a variety of global leadership roles. He is a board member of The Women’s Foundation and was co-founding Chair of the Male Allies initiative. Brian was recognised for this as the 2017 American Chamber of Commerce Champion for the Advancement of Women.

Brian was born in Belfast and lived and worked in London and Paris before moving to Hong Kong in 2012. He is a qualified lawyer, has an MBA from Cranfield University, is an accredited MBTI practitioner, Mental Health First Aider and Smart Collaboration Accelerator accredited partner. Brian is also currently training as a yoga and mindfulness teacher.

Hanim Hamzah is the Regional Managing Partner of ZICO Law, the first law firm network with presence across ASEAN with 18 offices in all 10 countries. She also heads the Corporate M&A practice group at ZICO Law Indonesia’s Roosdiono & Partners law firm. 

Based in Singapore, her 25+ years of regional practice experience includes being resident in Malaysia, Japan, and Indonesia where she specialises in major infrastructure project financing and M&A deals in aviation, banking, insurance, mining, oil and gas, plantations, and property. Hanim is top ranked, consistently recognized as Distinguished Lawyer or Leading Lawyer across multiple practice areas in major legal directories and publications. She has authored cited articles in thought leadership in the legal profession and is currently Co-Chair of the International Bar Association’s Law Firm Management Committee, and Senior Fellow at the CIMB Asean Research Institute (CARI). Hanim was selected by the Singapore Academy of Law, as part of an expert think-tank to prepare a white paper on skills needed by legal professionals in the future. In 2019, Hanim co-founded the ASEAN Legal Tech Initiative, bringing together legal and technology experts in South-East Asia. 

As a leader, Hanim champions diversity and inclusion, mental health, well-being, and safety in the legal profession. She sits on the Board of Trustees of the Mindful Business Charter UK Charity and is a Board Member of the Workplace Pride not for profit foundation dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTIQ+ people in workplaces worldwide. Hanim was also named Top Ten Pioneers of New Legal Thinking in the Financial Times Asia-Pacific Innovative Lawyers Awards 2018. 

Hanim is also a marathoner and sings in a jazz quartet.

Panel and Networking session: How to Effectively Manage your Legal Finance Budget

The Singapore Corporate Counsel Association (SCCA) and Burford Capital cordially invite you to a panel discussion with CEO Christopher Bogart, followed by cocktails and canapés alongside peer lawyers and business leaders.

We are excited to see you for a wonderful night of conversation and networking.

Monday, 17 October 5pm-8pm

Level 49, 1 Raffles Quay- North Tower, Singapore, 048583

Moderator

Quentin Pak is a Director with responsibility for leading Burford’s office in Singapore and for expanding Burford’s resources to support clients in Asia. Mr. Pak works with corporations, law firms and insolvency practitioners in providing legal risk management and financing solutions, both in relation to Asia-based legal proceedings and for companies in the region involved in disputes in other jurisdictions.

Prior to joining Burford, Mr. Pak was most recently the head of the Asia commodities business at Commonwealth Bank of Australia. His previous experience includes senior positions at major global financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs, Barclays and Deutsche Bank. Before going into banking, Mr. Pak practiced law with Allen & Overy in London and Singapore.

Mr. Pak earned degrees in law and aeronautical engineering from the University of Bristol.

Speakers

Christopher Bogart is Chief Executive Officer, a director and a co-founder of Burford, and he also serves as a member of its Management and Commitments Committees. Under Mr. Bogart's leadership, Burford has become the largest global provider of legal finance and a force in the global legal market. 

Before co-founding Burford, Mr. Bogart held numerous senior executive positions with Time Warner. As Executive Vice President & General Counsel of Time Warner Inc., he managed one of the largest legal functions in the world. He also served as Chief Executive Officer of Time Warner Cable Ventures and one of four senior executives operating Time Warner Cable, with $9 billion in revenue and 30,000 employees, and as Chief Executive Officer of Time Warner Entertainment Ventures.

At Time Warner, Mr. Bogart played a significant role in major transactions and litigation matters including the $350 billion America Online merger; the acquisition of Turner Broadcasting, including CNN and other media properties; antitrust litigation with News Corporation; the attempted acquisition of EMI Music; a joint venture with Microsoft and Compaq; a constitutional challenge to the federal Cable Act; and a $550 million litigation matter involving the Six Flags theme park chain.

Renita serves as the Co-President of Singapore Corporate Counsel Association (SCCA) and is the Co-Chair of the Sustainability Chapter, Real Estate Chapter and Women’s Chapter. She also sits on the General Council and Steering Committee (representing SCCA) with In-house Counsel Worldwide (ICW).

Renita is also currently a Group Legal Counsel and Group Data Protection Officer with a real estate company. Following her graduation from NUS Faculty of Law, Renita joined Allen & Gledhill LLP, where she acquired both Litigation and Corporate experience during her 7 years there, before moving in-house with several real estate landlord/developer entities, including Ascendas and CapitaLand over the past 10 years, covering both local and international portfolios.

She has since completed a Masters of Law and  Public Administration, as well as attended the SMC and SIMC courses, along with the SAL Specialist Accreditation Course in Construction Law. For her various efforts, she was awarded the ALB Young In-House Lawyer of the Year Award for 2020, and has been named a finalist for the ALB Woman In-House of the Year Award 2021 and 2022.

Alastair has more than 20 years' experience handling major disputes across many sectors and industries, concerning a wide variety of trade, commercial and financial activities, with particular experience of oil, gas and power, construction and engineering, infrastructure and projects, and major foreign investment. He is very familiar with disputes in or concerning the countries of Southeast Asia, as well as international cases outside the region. His clients include governments and public bodies, state-owned and independent companies, international banks, and other multinational and leading regional companies. 

Alastair has served numerous times as sole arbitrator, co-arbitrator and presiding arbitrator and has handled many cases as counsel under the rules of the ICC, LCIA, SIAC, HKIAC, KLRCA, SIArb, CIETAC, Thai Arbitration Institute and Indonesian National Arbitration Institute (BANI) as well as UNCITRAL rules and pure ad hoc cases. He is a Fellow of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators; a national committee member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators; and a former member of ICC Thailand national arbitration commission

Dennis Tan is Head of Legal, Southeast Asia and India with the Electrolux Group, and is a member of Electrolux Global Legal networks on digital innovation, data protection and regulatory compliance. In his role, Dennis was instrumental in assisting Electrolux to re-establish its presence in India. He was also a key contributor of Singapore’s first appliance-as-a-service subscription programme. As Head of Legal, he also manages a roster of external counsels in the region.

Prior to joining the Electrolux Group, Dennis held various governmental, regulatory and in-house roles. He served as a Deputy Public Prosecutor specialising in capital and white-collar crimes. In International Affairs Division, Dennis participated in the negotiation and drafting of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and represented Singapore in forums such as the United Nations Convention Against Corruption Working Group. At the Singapore Exchange, Dennis served in legal and compliance capacities, and worked on subjects such as regulatory licensing, crisis management, data protection and cybersecurity.

Dennis earned his LLB from the National University of Singapore and his LLM from the Singapore Management University. In addition, Dennis holds accreditations with the Singapore Mediation Centre and the Singapore International Mediation Institute. He is also an associate member of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators, and a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals

Doing business in Vietnam

 Six months after reopening its borders to international travelers, Vietnam continues to show a strong economic trajectory, further reinforcing its position as an investment destination. As the country continues to evolve to fully realise its potential, so does its compliance and regulatory landscape adapt to address current and future issues. 

Frasers Law Company, Vietnam’s premier commercial law firm, will be presenting the latest legal updates and developments that companies conducting business or contemplating an investment in Vietnam need to know and understand. The seminar will also feature various breakout sessions to cover industry-specific updates, and interactive panel discussions.  

The seminar is open to corporate legal counsel and practitioners. The event is free of charge, but registration is required. If you have any question about the agenda, please reach out to secretariat@scca.org.sg  

Agenda 

Speakers

Justin is a mergers, acquisitions and corporate advisory law specialist, who advises investment funds (PE, VC, public, and institutional) as well as corporate investors and high-net-worth individuals, across a diverse range of industry sectors in connection with their investment and business activities in Vietnam.

During his 14 years of practising law in Vietnam, Justin has also developed high levels of experience and expertise in other key areas of law, including capital markets, real estate, construction, technology, media, telecommunications, intellectual property, and employment law.

Justin’s clients (in his core practice area of corporate and M&A, in addition to his various ancillary practice areas) include public and private investment funds from all over the world, in addition to global and regional industry leaders across a diverse range of industry sectors, including FMCG, wholesale and retail distribution, fintech, e-commerce, property development, manufacturing, telecommunications, and hospitality and gaming.

Justin is held in high esteem in the Vietnam legal market not only for his technical excellence, but also for his commercial sense and inherent pragmatism. Having spent nearly five years as an in-house general counsel for a large multi-national conglomerate in addition to his experience as a private practitioner, Justin offers depth and breadth of commercial understanding that are unparalleled in the legal profession in Vietnam.

Justin is highly ranked as a leading practitioner in Vietnam, by all of the most reputable international law firm guides, including Legal 500, Chambers & Partners, IFLR, and Asia Law.

Earl Rivera-Dolera is the Head of International Arbitration Practice, Frasers Law Company, Vietnam. She acts as a counsel and an arbitrator.

Earl has been appointed as an arbitrator in cases with various seats of arbitration including Singapore, India, Philippines, Indonesia and Hong Kong, among others. These concern a wide range of commercial disputes subject to different governing laws – of both common and civil legal systems. She is listed as an arbitrator at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, Korean Commercial Arbitration Board, Japan Commercial Arbitration Association, Asian Centre for International Arbitration in Malaysia, HKIAC (Hong Kong), CAAI (Hong Kong/Taiwan) and THAC (Thailand) and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and Singapore Institute of Arbitrators.

Earl has acted as a counsel, tribunal secretary and has advised as an expert in arbitration proceedings. She has been involved in arbitral proceedings seated in Asia, Africa, Europe, United States, and Australia in a Singapore-based arbitration chambers with prominent international arbitrators under the auspices of ICC, SIAC, LCIA, KLRCA, SCMA, AMTAC, HKIAC, VIAC, ICDR/AAA, BANI, ICSID and ad hoc arbitrations with total claims of around US$7.2 billion. She has had experience in various capacities in more than 170 arbitrations under the rules of major arbitral institutions.

Earl has also published extensively and in the area of international arbitration and is the co-author of the book volume, “Halsbury’s Laws of Singapore: Arbitration” (2017 and 2020 re-issues) in the Halsbury’s series.

Earl holds two master’s degrees in international economic law from Stanford University Law School (USA) and international business law from the National University of Singapore. At Stanford, Earl was a Salzburg-Cutler Fellow for International Law and a Jean Monnet European Union Law Research Fellow where she focused her research study on investment treaty arbitration and intra-European Union BITs.

Earl is a faculty member at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy in Colorado, USA and is admitted as a solicitor (with practising certificate) for the Senior Courts of England and Wales, attorney-at-law in New York State (USA), and attorney-at-law in the Philippines. She is also a certified information privacy professional for Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation.

Phan Xuan Qui is Frasers Law Company’s Head of Tax based in Ho Chi Minh City. He has extensive experience in the areas of direct and indirect tax advisory and compliance, including corporate income tax, personal income tax, value added tax, import-export duties, and other international taxes. Qui has over 15 years of international experience advising clients from across a broad range of sectors. Particularly, he continues to provide comprehensive tax due diligence services for M&A projects in key industries including real estate, energy, logistics, consumer goods, e-commerce, banking, education, and healthcare.

Prior to joining Frasers, Qui was a Tax and Legal Director for a global accounting firm, and the Head of M&A and Legal for one of Vietnam’s largest publicly listed real estate development and investment companies.

Qui holds a bachelor’s degree in Foreign Economy from the Ho Chi Minh City Foreign Trade University, and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Ho Chi Minh City University of Law. He is an associate member of CPA Australia, and a Tax Agent certified by Vietnam’s General Department of Taxation. 

Duong Thi Mai Huong joined Frasers in 2020 and is a Senior Associate of the firm.

Huong practices in the area of corporate law, with experience in mergers and acquisitions, securities and capital markets, finance and banking, real estate and construction, and international trade law.

Huong’s extensive legal expertise spans the areas of startup/venture capital, mergers and acquisition, corporate investment and restructuring, real estate and renewable energy. She has assisted clients in a diverse range of industry sectors and on a wide range of legal matters, from providing legal advice, legal analysis and legal due diligence reviews, foreseeing legal changes that effect a company’s structure and business, to reviewing contracts, agreements and documentation.

She has been involved in numerous banking and finance transactions and has undertaken multiple legal due diligence reviews. She has also advised clients on various renewable energy projects.

Prior to joining Frasers, Huong worked at a leading international law firm in Ho Chi Minh City, and was the Director of Legal at a major real estate development corporation in Vietnam.

Huong earned an LL.M. in International Business Law from Newcastle University in 2014. She earned a Bachelor of Laws in Business Law from the University of Economics and Law in Ho Chi Minh City.

Huong is a member of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association. She is fluent in Vietnamese and English.

Ho Thuy Ngoc Tram is a senior associate at Frasers Law Company and has more than 11 years’ experience practising corporate and commercial law, with particular emphasis on large-scale project financing, real estate, TMT, e-commerce, mergers and acquisitions, inward investment, corporate governance, and debt and equity capital markets in Vietnam. Prior to joining Frasers, she worked for a large commercial bank in Ho Chi Minh City, focusing on various cross-border banking transactions.

Tram was the first and only person in the history of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Law who got the highest result in the entrance examination and subsequently graduated as the first-ranked student (with the highest overall GPA) of the same school as well as obtained the highest score on the thesis. Tram also won the prestigious Endeavour Postgraduate Award, granted by the Australian Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, and has successfully obtained a Master of Commercial Laws Degree from Melbourne Law School, the University of Melbourne, Australia during 2012-2013. While studying in Australia, Tram also worked as research assistant for various projects led by the Director of Asian Law Centre, Melbourne Law School and has represented Melbourne Law School to speak at the Vietnam Legal Studies Graduate Workshop held by Monash University.

Tram is a member of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association and speaks both English and Vietnamese.

Tram regularly handles large and complex multi-jurisdictional transactions, sophisticated legal issues and negotiations on a broad range of transactional and contentious matters. In addition, Tram also advises industry leaders in the FMCG, energy, manufacturing, infrastructure, and services sectors, among numerous others.

Nguyen Mai Phuong is a Senior Associate at Frasers Law Company and has more than 13 years’ experience practising corporate and commercial law, with particular emphasis on large-scale project financing, mergers and acquisitions, inward investment, corporate governance and capital market.

Prior to joining Frasers, she worked for a ‘Magic Circle’ firm and a US-UK based firm in their Ho Chi Minh City offices. Phuong has assisted numerous investors and lenders in relation to their investment in Vietnam in renewable energy, infrastructure, fintech, e-commerce and TMT sectors. She has also assisted local developers, borrowers and sellers in Vietnam in their divestment or fundraising in Vietnam.

Phuong is qualified in Vietnam, England and Wales and is fluent in both English and Vietnamese

SCCA First Thursdays - October 6th

All in house counsels in Singapore are welcome to join the Thursday drinks at: Raffles City Brotzeit

SCCA’s first Thursdays drinks are back! Do come and join us for an evening of networking, with some drinks and light bites. The event is free of charge to attend, attendees to purchase own drinks and nibbles

Do’s & don’ts for directors in relation to Indian WCC and regulatory regime

As India continues its extraordinary run as one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the world, the risks associated with businesses are even more real. A key risk to anticipate is the slippages in regulatory compliance that can lead to a host of complications for promotors and board members. To prevent such occurrences, it is essential to have robust processes and defence strategies in place to deal with issues that stem from non-compliance.

Join us for an in-depth discussion on the recent updates and trends in criminal and regulatory investigations and enforcements, key obligations of nominee directors, approach to parallel proceedings, working with the law enforcement agencies and more. Hope to see you there!

Topics covered:

o Trends in criminal and regulatory investigations
o Enforcement trends and key case law updates
o Issues to keep in mind while acting as nominee directors and dealing with regulatory actions
o Risk and right approach of multiple parallel proceedings
o Do’s and don’ts in dealing with investigation and enforcement risk

Dress code: Smart casual/elegant, strictly no casuals. Please take note that guests in t-shirts, torn jeans, shorts, sandals and slippers will not be admitted.

Time: 

11:45am – Registration

12:00pm to 1:00pm – Presentation by Khaitan & Co

1:00pm to 2:00pm – Lunch

Venue:   

Speakers

Rajiv has substantial experience of handling Civil and Commercial disputes and specialises in White Collar Criminal litigation and advisory. He has been involved in advising qua on-going investigation by various Indian agencies for prosecution and quasi-criminal prosecution for alleged offences under various specialised criminal statutes such as the Prevention of Corruption Act and Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Rajiv has also assisted and advised clients in the course of their internal corporate investigations, with a view towards tracing corporate fraud, bribery and/or money laundering for multinational organisations.

Kartikey is a dispute resolution partner focusing on international arbitration, cross border litigation and white-collar crimes. He is qualified to practice law in India, England & Wales (where he has rights of audience for all courts) and the State of New York. Kartikey has experience in representing clients in institutional (including under ICSID, SIAC, ICC, LCIA, HKIAC, AAA and GAFTA Rules) and ad-hoc seated arbitrations in both common law and civil jurisdictions. He also advises on white collar, fraud, money-laundering and corruption issues including advising clients on issues relating to the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. He has also advised clients on internal and regulatory investigations before the DOJ, MAS, SFO, CBI and FINMA.

Building a Well and Resilient Legal Team

Axiom, in partnership with the SCCA, invites all legal counsels in Singapore to the open-forum lunch roundtable at Raffles Hotel on 30th September 2022.

We will hear and learn from top GCs how they build a strong and resilient team to cope with the ongoing market challenges. We will explore best practices, including the new law, which take key part to support the ever-changing legal landscape.

Limited seats only. Register now!

Event Agenda:

Moderator:

Renita serves as the Co-President of Singapore Corporate Counsel Association (SCCA) and is the Co-Chair of the Sustainability Chapter, Real Estate Chapter and Women’s Chapter. She also sits on the General Council and Steering Committee (representing SCCA) with In-house Counsel Worldwide (ICW).

 Speakers:

David McVeigh is CEO of Axiom, the global leader in high-caliber, on-demand legal talent. Mr.
McVeigh joined Axiom in 2020, with a customer-centric perspective and a proven track record of
driving profitable revenue growth across a wide variety of industries, with notable experience in
technology and tech-enabled products.

Under Mr. McVeigh’s leadership, Axiom has experienced uninterrupted growth in one of the most
challenging economic environments. He navigated the company through the complexities of COVID,
while overseeing its successful scaling efforts. While CEO, Axiom has realized nearly 200% growth in
its lawyer bench, while also significantly growing its revenue and client base. Mr. McVeigh also
directed the company’s investment in technology, which enables Axiom to match the right lawyers
to the right legal matters more efficiently, seamlessly, and cost-effectively.

Prior to his role at Axiom, Mr. McVeigh served as Gartner, Inc.’s Executive Vice President, Global
Business Sales, and as a member of its operating committee. There, he led a global sales
organization responsible for US$650M in revenue from subscription-based research and advisory
services. Before Gartner, Mr. McVeigh was a Managing Director at Hellman & Friedman, an
Operating Partner at The Blackstone Group, and a Partner at McKinsey & Company.

Mr. McVeigh graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Lafayette College and earned his
Master's degree in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and his Master’s in Business
Administration from Columbia University. In his spare time, Mr. McVeigh is an avid snow skier,
aspiring golfer, and frequent traveler.

Geeta is a seasoned, experienced legal and compliance professional with over 3 decades of legal experience.  

A UK solicitor and admitted in 1985 holding a current practicing certificate for England and Wales. A former specialist in corporate and commercial legal matters both in Britain, and for the last 21 years based in Singapore. 

Previously in-house with GlaxoSmithKline and Kimberly Clark in regional APAC legal and compliance roles at the APAC regional HQ for both companies respectively. Currently doing adhoc consultancy for law firms/inhouse legal as well as voluntary work which includes being a co-Convenor of Well-Being Chapter for the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association.

Apart from being a long-serving Board member of SCCA, Stanley is actively involved with connecting with various General Counsels.

Stanley is also Managing Director and Head of Legal - Asia Pacific Region for Scotiabank's Global Banking and Markets Division. He is based in Singapore and is responsible for all legal matters across the region.

SCCA Panel and Networking session: The Latest in the Legal Environment in Singapore

SCCA is proud to be part of the Singapore Convention Week 2022, helmed by the Singapore Ministry of Law, as attendees from all around the world join to know more on our Singapore legal scene. Come hear from some of our General Counsels and our sponsor lawyers – Allen & Gledhill LLP, as they share on the latest legal developments, ranging from the latest dispute resolution developments to the ease of filings and availability of legal expertise, that continues to encourage companies to headquarter and do business in Singapore and for the region!

1st September 2022 - 5pm to 7pm (SGT) – with panel session at 6pm.

 Speakers:

Greg is the Group General Counsel of International SOS and manages a global team of over 45 professionals responsible for among other things, mergers and acquisitions, contracts, compliance, litigation, data protection and assurance, insurance, corporate secretarial, internal security and other legal and risk management related matters.

Greg is a lawyer admitted to practice in New York by the Supreme Court of the State of New York, in England and Wales by the Supreme Court of Judicature of England and Wales and in France by the Ordre des Avocats de Paris. Greg has practiced at two of the world’s largest law firms, Clifford Chance in London, Luxemburg and Singapore, and White & Case in New York, Singapore, Jakarta and Paris.

Prior to that, Greg headed the Legal Department in Asia Pacific for Informix Software, and then spent 12 years with DHL Worldwide Express. In his last position with DHL in Asia, Greg was the Director of Legal & Regulatory Affairs and a Member of the DHL Asia Pacific Management Board. Greg was assigned by DHL to Brussels and Bonn as Senior Vice President in charge of Global Organizational Effectiveness, which position he held until 2010 after which he joined International SOS in Singapore as their worldwide Group General Counsel.

Kwong Weng is the Group Chief Group Corporate Officer and Group General Counsel of Mapletree Investments Pte Ltd, a real estate development and capital manager headquartered in Singapore. He takes charge of all legal, compliance and corporate secretarial matters as well as oversees all of administration, corporate communications and human resource functions.

Stanley is the Managing Director and Head of Legal - Asia Pacific Region for Scotiabank's Global Banking and Markets Division. He is based in Singapore and is responsible for all legal matters across the region.

APCCA Forum: A Round Table Discussion on Data Protection and Legal Technology in Asia Pacific

Overview:

Come join us for a round table discussion on data protection and legal technology in Asia Pacific in this forum among in-house counsels. Our panelists will be sharing some of the latest developments in their respective countries.

Date:

26 August 2022
Time: 

Singapore Standard Time - 3pm
Indian Standard Time - 12:30pm
Indonesia Standard Time - 2pm
Philippines Standard Time - 3pm

Moderator:

Anil a Mediator (accredited in South Asia), Arbitrator (Fellows of the Chartered, Singapore and Philippines Institutes of Arbitrators and Adjudicator (with AIAC Malaysia); and trained in International Treaty Arbitration, is an Advocate & Solicitor, Commissioner for Oaths and Notary Public of Singapore, a Solicitor of England and Wales (2009); qualified as Barrister Middle Temple of England & Wales (1993) and also holds a Master of Science in Construction Law & Arbitration, Kings College London & National University of Singapore (2006).

In legal practice since 1995 and his Chambers representing parties in the region, focuses on Appropriate Dispute Resolution involving Infrastructure, Building, and Construction work and most aspects of Commercial, Civil, Criminal and Corporate Front End Advisory services. Conversant in Mandarin, Malay, Malayalam and Tamil besides English, he has also worked In House, with a International Arbitration practice and started his work life for five-years career as an infantry officer, Singapore Armed Forces. His consultancy also Consults & Administers International Infrastructure & Construction, Trade & Investment Treaty projects and developments; carries out Appropriate Dispute Resolution Services including Mediator, Adjudicator, Arbitrator, Dispute Boards, Expert Witness & Neutral Evaluator; and Developing Online Dispute Resolution Legal Technologies.

Link to LinkedIn Profile

Speakers:

Reza P. Topobroto started his legal career as a practice lawyer in 1997, after moving to several law firms he had a chance to be promoted as a Senior Associate in Roosdiono & Partners.  In 2005, he shifted careers to corporate counsel by joining Procter & Gamble as Country Legal Lead. In 2008, Reza was appointed as the Head of Legal for Mondelez (p.k.a Kraft Foods).  In 2012 he joined Microsoft as Director of Corporate, External & Legal Affairs in charge for Indonesia.  After 7 years in Microsoft, he moved to Indosat Ooredoo in 2019, becoming Senior Legal Advisor to CEO.  On 2021, Reza made career change by joining a startup UK based company focusing on legaltech, Jameson Legal Tech holding responsibility as Business Development Advisor for Southeast Asia Market.  After a year in startup business, he is back to in-house as he was appointed in 2022 as the General Counsel, VP Legal & Compliance of Telkomsigma, a state-owned company in Indonesia engaging cloud, digital and IT services

Reza was the third President of the Indonesian Corporate Counsel Association (ICCA). He ended his term in 2014 and continues contributions to ICCA through his role on the Supervisory Board. In 2009, he co-founded the Asia Pacific Corporate Counsel Alliance (APCCA), In 2012, he was appointed Secretary General of the APCCA.

In 2015, Reza was given the award of ‘Indonesia In-House Lawyer of the Year 2015’ and ‘In-House Legal Team of the Year 2016’ by Asia Legal Business.   Reza obtained his law degree at Trisakti University, Jakarta in 1997, and his Master of Laws at Monash University, Melbourne in 2003.

Link to LinkedIn Profile

Jet is a lawyer, a continuous learning expert and a privacy advocate. He is the Chief Compliance Officer of his current organization, ensuring their adherence to financial regulations from the SEC and the BSP, financial crimes deterrence imposed by the AMLC, and implementing a robust privacy program required by the National Privacy Commission. He also previously worked with the Compliance and Monitoring Division of the NPC, where he contributed in the drafting of issuances, in PIC registration and training, and breach reporting. He worked with the Business Process Outsourcing sector as their privacy policy advisor. His experience in the BPO sector deepened his experience in the proper controls implemented by multinationals in the retail, banking, utilities and telecoms sector.

During his time as Home Credit Philippines’ Data Protection Officer, he aimed to differentiate the Company’s data privacy practices from the competition. With his leadership, Home Credit won the National Privacy Commission’s Privacy Management Program of the Year in 2022, and he was recognized as a finalist for the Data Protection Officer of the Year Awarded.

Jet is a Certified Information Privacy Manager (IAPP) with more than 15 years of experience in program management, and process improvement.

Link to LinkedIn Profile

Daniel is currently Associate General Counsel and Privacy Responsible (APAC), Asia Pacific at Bruker (NASDAQ: BRKR), a German & American based manufacturer of high-performance scientific instruments and medical devices. Daniel heads the APAC legal team that covers legal & compliance, M&A, data protection/privacy matters for China, India, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Daniel graduated with a degree in law from University of Leeds.  He holds active IAPP Certificates such as CIPP/A, CIPM and CIPP/E.

In addition,Daniel serves as Co-President of the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association (SCCA), Co-Chair of Data Protection & Cybersecurity Chapter and Vice Chair of Student Chapter. He is also part of the Executive Committee (representing SCCA) with In-house Counsel Worldwide (ICW) and APCCA (Asia Pacific Corporate Counsel Alliance).

Link to LinkedIn Profile

Group GC for Xerox- APAC countries. A seasoned leader, a board member and part of many executive committees. She has been managing APAC & Global GC roles across diverse industries like IT, Telecom, Insurance, Services, Consumer Products and Manufacturing.

IP Considerations in Cross-Border Trade

Date:Thursday, 25 August 2022,

Time:11:00am - 12:15pm

Overview:

Despite the impact of COVID since 2019, cross-border trade and investment, while experiencing occasional setbacks, continue to thrive. As brand owners, distributors and franchisors, what do companies involved in cross-border trade need to take note of?

Join us for some practical insights and strategies from Meritas's IP lawyers from Thailand, China, Japan and Singapore.

Speakers

IP Registration in Thailand

Kowit Somwaiya is the Founder and Managing Partner of LawPlus Ltd. He founded LawPlus in 2003. He studied law at Thammasat University in Thailand and the University of Illinois and Harvard Law School in the USA. He is admitted to practice law in Thailand. He is a registered patent agent of Thailand.  Kowit has been in the IP law practice since 1982. His IP expertise consists of advising and representing MNCs on IP prosecution, utilization and enforcements in Thailand and abroad. He has been recognized and ranked as a leader locally and internationally.  He used to serve as chair and co-chairs of several committees and subcommittees of the INTA and the APAA in the past 18 years.  He was the Vice President of the IPAT (Intellectual Property Association of Thailand) from 2017-2019. Currently, he is serving as a member of the Data Protection Committee and the Nominating Committee of the INTA.

Brand Protection in China

Wency has over 12 years of experience on contentious and non-contentious intellectual property matters, with particular emphasis on trademark, copyright, domain name, design, trade dress and unfair competition matters. She earned an LLM degree in IP law from Stanford Law School, a JD degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a B.A. degree from Peking University. She is qualified in China and New York. She worked at top tier IP teams for 10 years before joining Anjie & Broad. She is a committee member of INTA and ICC China IP commission. Wency is ranked in WTR 1000 as a leading trademark professional in China in 2020, and received China Japan Trademark Contribution Award from China Trademark Association and Japan Patent Attorneys Association in 2022. She is also shortlisted for Managing IP - Women in Business Law Awards APAC 2022 – Trademark Lawyer of the Year.

SCCA Legal Eagle Challenge 2022

SCCA Legal Eagle Challenge is Singapore’s first in-house counsel competition for law students and is back for its third year. Participants will again assume the role of a General Counsel in a realistic simulation of the work done by in-house counsels every day.

As a law student, you would have learnt about the different types of corporate entities in Singapore in your first few years of law school. See how this book knowledge comes to life in this case scenario where you will be the General Counsel of a fictional Energy Solutions Provider (“Energy Co”). Energy Co is looking to participate in an overseas project and Energy Co’s board of directors wants your thoughts on the ideal corporate structure, ESG issues and dispute resolution mechanisms.

Announcements

1 May 2022: Registration is open!

10 June 2022: We are pleased to announce the SCCA Legal Eagle Challenge Masterclass 2022 which allows attendees to listen to thought leaders on hot issues of corporate structuring, dispute resolution clauses and ESG. Please see below for more details on our wonderful speakers.

This year, our Masterclass is also open to the public, so if you would like to attend, please register here.

13 June 2022: Team leaders should have received an e-mail on how to submit clarifications. Clarifications must be submitted before 15 June 2022 12pm

23 June 2022: Team leaders should have received the responses to the submitted clarifications. Participants are reminded to attend the Masterclass on 25 June 2022 9.30am-12.30pm.

5 July 2022: Last day of submissions! Team leads are requested finalize there submissions by today, 11:59pm.

19 July 2022: The preliminary rounds for the SCCA’s Legal Eagle Challenge 2022 have concluded, and only 6 finalist teams will advance to the finals.

In alphabetical order of the team leads, here are the finalist teams:

1. Adele Neo | Zaher Bin Wahab | Tan Kah Keng | Ellis Kusumo (SUSS)
2. Chen Hao | Chan Jun Hao Anselm | McCully Ayrton Leonard (NUS)
3. Kenishia Chang Qing Hui | Kavya Anand | Adrina Ang Lina | Kendra Thaddaeus Tang (TP)
4. Khor Jia Wei | Ong Yong Hui, Nicholas | Chee Rui Yang, Clifford | Chong Qiao Xin Cherry (NUS)
5. Kuan Jie Min| Liu Enqi | Elijah Koh Hung | Leow Zhi Yong (SMU)
6. Lim Zheng Ting Walden | Kenneth He Zhi Jing | Ng Xuen Yi, Alexe (SMU)

Finalist teams will move on to the cross-disciplinary consultations where they will get advice from industry experts in the lead up to the finals. The finals will be held on Saturday, 30 July 2022, at Temasek Polytechnic and is open to the public. If you would like to attend, please register here.

Organisers

Organising Head 

Serene Gan

Organising Committee Members

Jerrick Lim (Legal Counsel, Atlas)

Gerald Tan (Regional Legal Counsel, Amadeus) 

Key Dates

1 June 2022: Registration deadline

25 June 2022: Masterclass (Online workshop for all participants)

5 July 2022: Submission

23 July 2022: Cross Disciplinary Consultation (For Finalists teams only)

30 July 2022: Finals

Awards 

Winning Team - $1,000 cash prize & internships at WongPartnership - kindly sponsored by WongPartnership

Most Innovative Team - $800 cash prize kindly sponsored by LexisNexis

Most Business Savvy Team

Best Communicator (individual) - $200 cash prize kindly sponsored by LexisNexis 

The above awardees will be given the rare opportunity to have a 1-hour coffee chat session with a senior legal leader to network and to find out more about the in-house profession.

Finalist Judges for 2022

CHAN YING JIAN

Chief Financial Officer

Yeo Hiap Seng

Ying Jian graduated summa cum laude (with Highest Distinction) from the Singapore Management University with double degree in Business Management (Finance) and Accountancy, under the SMU Scholarship. He is also a Chartered Accountant of Singapore (CA Singapore) and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He started his career in 2008 as an equity research analyst with J.P. Morgan Securities, rising to the position of Vice President, Sector Head of Agri-Commodities and Consumer Staples for the ASEAN region. Ying Jian was named the “Top Earnings Estimator” for the Retail and Consumer Products sector at the 2012 Thomson Reuters Analyst Awards, and the “Top Stock Picker” in the same sector in 2014. In August 2014, Ying Jian joined BreadTalk Group Limited, where he was subsequently appointed Group CFO in June 2015, at the age of 32. He was also concurrently the Group Chief Investment Officer from October 2019. During his tenure, Ying Jian oversaw two highly oversubscribed bond issuance exercise and the S$80 million acquisition of Food Junction – the largest in the Group’s history. Subsequent to BreadTalk Group, Ying Jian joined The Learning Lab in March 2020 as its CFO and IT Director, where he navigated its business through the COVID-19 pandemic, and led business development and expansion. Following that, he was the Group CFO of Yeo Hiap Seng Limited from July 2021 to August 2022. Ying Jian was awarded the Rising Star (Professional Accountant in Business) at the Singapore Accountancy Awards in 2018. He was also accorded the SMU Alumni Rising Star Award in 2015.

DANIEL CHOO

Associate General Counsel and Privacy Responsible (APAC), Asia Pacific 

Bruker

Daniel is currently Associate General Counsel and Privacy Responsible (APAC), Asia Pacific at Bruker (NASDAQ: BRKR), a German & American based manufacturer of high-performance scientific instruments and medical devices. Daniel heads the APAC legal team that covers legal & compliance, M&A, data protection/privacy matters for China, India, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Daniel graduated with a degree in law from University of Leeds. He holds active IAPP Certificates such as CIPP/A, CIPM and CIPP/E.

In addition. Daniel serves as Co-President of the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association (SCCA), Co-Chair of Data Protection & Cybersecurity Chapter and Vice Chair of Student Chapter. He is also part of the Executive Committee (representing SCCA) with In-house Counsel Worldwide (ICW) and APCCA (Asia Pacific Corporate Counsel Alliance).

QUAK FI LING 

Joint Head of the Private Equity and Sustainability Responsible Business Practices

Wong Partnership

Fi Ling is the Joint Head of the Private Equity and Sustainability Responsible Business Practices and a Partner in the Mergers & Acquisitions Practice. Her main practice areas are mergers and acquisitions, privatisations, private equity investments and corporate and commercial transactions. Fi Ling graduated from the National University of Singapore and is admitted to the Singapore Bar.

Our Masterclass Speakers for 2022

Esther Chang

Executive Director, UN Global Compact Network Singapore

Ms Esther Chang is the Executive Director of Global Compact Network Singapore (GCNS). She leads GCNS initiatives to raise awareness and adoption of corporate sustainability efforts in Singapore and the region. She serves as the main liaison between GCNS and the United Nations Global Compact. Passionate about creating positive change in society and problem solving, Ms Chang has dedicated her career in the nonprofit sector and has worked for leading healthcare and education organisations, as well as grassroots NGOs in Canada and Singapore. She champions multilateral partnerships to responsibly invest in and develop sustainable solutions at scale. She is an active volunteer in human rights and social welfare causes. Ms Chang has a B.Sc (Hons) in Life Sciences from Queen's University (Canada) and completed post-graduate studies in Fundraising and Volunteer Management (Humber College, Canada) and Sustainability Leadership (University of Cambridge, UK). She is CFRE certified since 2012, an internationally recognized accreditation for philanthropic fundraising administered by CFRE International.

Lynnette Lee

Deputy Counsel, Singapore International Arbitration Centre

Lynnette graduated with an LL.B. (Hons) from Monash Law School, Melbourne, Australia and holds a Bachelor of Communication Studies (Hons) from the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. She is admitted to practice as an Advocate & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore. During law school, Lynnette participated in moot court competitions, which included representing Monash at the FDI Moot.

Prior to joining SIAC, Lynnette practiced with Singapore law firms and worked at the chambers of a leading international arbitrator. She also worked with the Legal Aid Bureau in Singapore as a legal executive.

Mr Paul Tan

Co-Founder, Kreston ACA PAC

Paul holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.  He is a practicing member of Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA).  He is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).  In 2016, he was admitted as an ICAEW Chartered Accountant.  He is also a Member of the Singapore Institute of Directors (SID), an Accredited Tax Advisor (ATA) for both Income and GST, a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner under Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 and a Practicing Management Consultant (PMC). Paul has more than 25 years’ experience in managing a wide variety of complex assignments, which includes extensive exposure to audit and assurance, tax advisory and investigation, internal audit, corporate recovery, M&A deals including financial and tax due diligence. More recently, he was the lead consultant for several Singapore Government agencies-supported business consulting engagements. Paul currently also serves as an independent director on the Boards of three Singapore public listed companies; Serial System Ltd, Second Chance Properties Ltd and China Sunsine Chemical Holdings Ltd.

QUAK Fi Ling is the Joint Head of the Private Equity and Sustainability & Responsible Business Practices and a Partner in the Mergers & Acquisitions Practice. Her main practice areas are mergers and acquisitions, privatisations, private equity investments and corporate and commercial transactions.

Fi Ling graduated from the National University of Singapore and is admitted to the Singapore Bar.

Siddharth Jha

Centre Manager (International Partnerships) 

Siddharth is Centre Manager at SIMC overseeing international mediation in South Asia, including India.  He also plays an active role in SIMC’s learning & development arm, including mediation training, among other responsibilities.  Prior to joining SIMC, he worked in the Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry with a focus on developing the Chamber's Mediation Centre, and managed the Legal & IPR committee. He is a trained mediator, legal professional and had served as a Judicial Clerk with the Supreme Court of India. Siddharth graduated from Gujarat National Law University and holds an LLM in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University School of Law, USA. He is called to the Indian Bar and is proactively involved in evangelising the concept of mediation.

TIONG Teck Wee is the Joint Head of the Sustainability & Responsible Business Practice and a Partner in the Commercial & Corporate Disputes Practice.

His main areas of practice are in multijurisdictional, complex, high-value commercial and corporate disputes. Teck Wee has represented and acted for global private, public, and state-owned clients from various jurisdictions (such as Singapore, Malaysia, India, Japan, PRC and U.S.) in the Singapore High Court and in international arbitrations under the rules of major arbitral institutions (such as the SIAC and ICC), and in ad hoc arbitrations under the UNCITRAL Rules. Teck Wee has also advised and acted for both private investors and State parties in investment treaty arbitrations. Teck Wee has represented and acted for clients in a variety of disputes across a range of industries including general contractual disputes, shareholders' and joint venture disputes, minority oppression claims, banking and finance, private equity funds, commodities trading, and construction disputes. Teck Wee also regularly appears before the Singapore High Court to assist clients in the enforcement of arbitral awards and to set aside and/or challenge the enforcement of arbitral awards.

Cross Disciplinary Consultation 2022

This year, our budding General Counsels will be required to cover the potential tax implications of the corporate structure they are proposing that Energy Co utilise in order to structure their transaction. In this regard, we are proud to announce that the Nanyang Business School Tax Advisory Club has agreed to work with us on this segment. 

The Nanyang Business School Tax Advisory Club (TAC) started in 2006 as a non-profit student body that strives to increase the NBS community’s exposure to the tax discipline. With more than 300 members, the committee operates with the mission to promote the learning and sharing of tax knowledge, raise the level of professional competency, and increase the vibrancy of the Nanyang Business School (NBS) tax community. Thus, TAC brings about greater awareness on tax and advisory services among students and is the point of contact for students as well as the Big 4 accounting firms and professional bodies that are reaching out to the NBS students.

Under the guidance of the club’s advisor Professor Jow Lee Ying, and strong support from both the NBS Undergraduate Programme Office (UPO) and Student Affairs Office (SAO), TAC has organised various events in the past. These include corporate visits to the Big 4 accounting firms, Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS), the annual tax filing workshop conducted for all NTU clubs, the Tax Appreciation Workshop for TAC members, and the annual National Tax Competition (NTC).

Speaker for the Cross Disciplinary Consultation

We are also pleased to announce that as part of the Cross Disciplinary Consultation, we have engaged with a senior member of the accounting profession to give us a view on how in house teams working in the financial and tax advisory space can work closely with their legal colleagues to provide better advice to a company.

Chan Ying Jian

CFO of Yeo Hiap Seng

Ying Jian graduated summa cum laude (with Highest Distinction) from the Singapore Management University with double degree in Business Management (Finance) and Accountancy, under the SMU Scholarship. He is also a Chartered Accountant of Singapore (CA Singapore) and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He started his career in 2008 as an equity research analyst with J.P. Morgan Securities, rising to the position of Vice President, Sector Head of Agri-Commodities and Consumer Staples for the ASEAN region. Ying Jian was named the “Top Earnings Estimator” for the Retail and Consumer Products sector at the 2012 Thomson Reuters Analyst Awards, and the “Top Stock Picker” in the same sector in 2014. In August 2014, Ying Jian joined BreadTalk Group Limited, where he was subsequently appointed Group CFO in June 2015, at the age of 32. He was also concurrently the Group Chief Investment Officer from October 2019. During his tenure, Ying Jian oversaw two highly oversubscribed bond issuance exercise and the S$80 million acquisition of Food Junction – the largest in the Group’s history. Subsequent to BreadTalk Group, Ying Jian joined The Learning Lab in March 2020 as its CFO and IT Director, where he navigated its business through the COVID-19 pandemic, and led business development and expansion. Following that, he was the Group CFO of Yeo Hiap Seng Limited from July 2021 to August 2022. Ying Jian was awarded the Rising Star (Professional Accountant in Business) at the Singapore Accountancy Awards in 2018. He was also accorded the SMU Alumni Rising Star Award in 2015.

Coffee Chat Senior Legal Leaders

The SCCA Legal Eagles Organising Committee would like to thank the following luminaries and leaders of the in-house legal profession who have agreed to speak to the prize winners.

Antony Lee

Deputy General Counsel, Asia Pacific, General Counsel, Singapore, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited

Antony Lee is the General Counsel for HSBC Singapore and has held that appointment since Feb 2006.  He also has a regional role as Deputy General Counsel, Asia Pacific for HSBC with a focus on supporting HSBC’s ASEAN agenda and the legal teams from the other ASEAN countries.  He manages a department of 30 lawyers and para-legals that is responsible for the management of legal matters for all HSBC entities in Singapore.  

Prior to joining HSBC, Antony has worked in various capacities in the banking sector and in private legal practice where he has acquired broad experience in financial services and corporate law and commercial litigation. Antony is an accredited mediator of the Singapore Mediation Centre.

Kelvin Kwek

General Counsel, South East Asia & Oceania RHQ, Samsung Electronics

Kelvin Kwek is Samsung Electronics' General Counsel in the South East Asia & Oceania Region, overseeing the legal and compliance affairs of more than a dozen Samsung subsidiaries across the region. Kelvin has over 20 years of private practice and in-house legal experience. Kelvin graduated from Monash University, Australia with an LL.B (Hons) and a Bachelor of Economics. He is qualified to practice law in Australia and Singapore. Kelvin is also an accredited mediator with the Singapore Mediation Center, and is certified as a Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) by the International Association of Privacy Professionals. 

Penny Koo

General Counsel and Company Secretary, AIA Singapore

Ms Penny Koo is AIA Singapore’s General Counsel and Company Secretary, responsible for advancing AIA Singapore’s business growth and transformational strategies in a compliant, fair, responsible and sustainable manner. She leads her legal and corporate secretarial team in providing strategic legal and governance advice and commercial-minded, practical legal solutions to AIA Singapore and its subsidiaries. Penny and her team have received various accolades from Asian Law Business journal, IHC magazine and the SCCA. Other than legal practice, she is passionate about health and wellness, mentorship and empowerment.

Samson Leo 

Co-Founder and Chief Legal Officer – FazzFinancial (formerly known as xfers)

Samson Leo is currently the Chief Legal Officer of Fazz Financial Group and Xfers, which are both high-growth “Fintech 250” companies. Since his time as co-founder and Chief Legal Officer in Xfers, he has grown Xfers from a 3-person start-up to a regional company with more than 200 people across Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam and Philippines. Today, he heads the Fazz Financial Group’s legal team of 6 legal counsels in Singapore & Indonesia, and oversees the FFG Compliance committee consisting of senior compliance professionals and their team.

Prior to co-founding Xfers, Samson was a corporate lawyer in a Singapore “Big-Four” law firm,  WongPartnership LLP, where he worked on capital markets and financial regulatory matters. He graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Laws and was called to the Singapore Bar in 2012.

Trina Ha 

Chief Legal Counsel 

Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) 

Ms Trina Ha is the Director of the Legal Department at IPOS where she manages the legal affairs of the IP office including supporting IP policy reform and advising on IP issues in international agreements.   She jointly spearheads the Copyright Review with the Ministry of Law. Prior to joining public service, Trina was in private practice where she specialised in matters involving the protection, management and exploitation of intellectual property rights, particularly in the media and entertainment sectors.  During her time in legal practice, she was ranked annually since 2007 in the intellectual property industry and TMT industry by the Asia Pacific Legal 500.   She is also listed in the 2020, 2021 and 2022 editions of the IAM Strategy 300: The World’s Leading IP Strategists guide. 

Our Partners for 2022

Cross-Disciplinary Consultation Partner

The Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA) is the national accountancy body of Singapore. ISCA’s vision is to be a world-class accountancy body of trusted professionals, contributing towards an innovative and sustainable economy. There are over 33,000 ISCA members making their stride in businesses across industries in Singapore and around the world. 

Established in 1963, ISCA is an advocate of the interests of the profession. Complementing its global mindset with Asian insights, ISCA leverages its regional expertise, knowledge, and networks with diverse stakeholders to contribute towards the advancement of the accountancy profession. 

ISCA is the Designated Entity to confer the Chartered Accountant of Singapore – CA (Singapore) – designation. 

ISCA is a member of Chartered Accountants Worldwide, a global family that brings together the members of leading institutes to create a community of over 1.8 million Chartered Accountants and students in more than 190 countries. 

For more information, visit www.isca.org.sg.

Partner 2022

LexisNexis Legal & Professional is a leading global provider of information and analytics that enable professionals in legal, corporate, government and non-profit organizations to improve decision-making and achieve better business outcomes. We are a part of RELX Group, serving customers in more than 130 countries with 10,000 employees worldwide. Our information network contains 3 petabytes of legal and news data with 65 billion documents. That’s 150 times the size of Wikipedia and doubling every three years.

For over 100 years, LexisNexis has delivered best-in-class legal content, data and analytics from the leading minds in the profession. Across the globe, we combine content, technology and analytics to advance the rule of law and shape a more just world where all are equal under the law.

For more information, please visit www.lexisnexis.com.sg

Partner 2022

Headquartered in Singapore, WongPartnership is an award-winning law firm and one of the largest in the country. As a leading provider of legal services, we offer our clients access to our offices in China and Myanmar, and in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Philippines, through the member firms of WPG, a regional law network. Our expertise spans the full suite of legal services to include both advisory and transactional work where we have been involved in landmark corporate transactions, as well as complex and high-profile litigation and arbitration matters.

Our Sustainability & Responsible Business Practice adopts a multidisciplinary approach that draws on our experienced team of practitioners from various practice groups to provide a comprehensive suite of legal solutions to help our clients meet their sustainability and ESG related goals and ambitions. Our Sustainability & Responsible Business Practice advises on amongst other things, green and sustainability-linked financing, sustainable investments, and sustainable business solutions such as clean and renewable energy, waste management, green building and sustainable infrastructure, and carbon trading.

Explore our practices here.