Heba Ali

August 31, 2016
Described by one of her peers as being “everything you would need in a lawyer”, Heba Ali was hired by Lenovo in 2014 to establish the organisation’s legal department for the Middle East and Africa region. A reflection of her success, in May, Ali was selected by our expert panel of judges as the In-House Community Counsel of the Year, 2016. Here she talks to Asian-mena Counsel about the qualities she thinks are vital to being a good in-house lawyer.

Credit where credit’s due- Christopher Stephens

July 12, 2016
Having worked as a lawyer in New York for 15 years and Asia for almost 20 before joining Asian Development Bank which focusses on developing jurisdictions, Christopher Stephens tells the In-House Community about the “cultural arrogance” behind assuming that the more longstanding laws are the better ones and will automatically work in areas whose traditions and cultures are disparate. He also talks about how to motivate younger lawyers, revealing that giving them credit for their work has to go beyond remuneration.

Taking the plunge – Bob Santamaria

June 10, 2016
After twenty years in a partnership role at Australian firm Allens Arthur Robinson, Bob Santamaria took the plunge and moved in-house in 2007, joining ANZ as Group General Counsel. The GFC hit a mere few months later, rocking the banking world to its core. For Santamaria, it was a case of sink or swim, and despite the inevitable challenges that ensued, he explains to Rebecca Brookes why he has never looked back.

Banking on change

January 19, 2016
Managing Director and Head, Group Legal and Secretariat at DBS Bank Sue Lynn Koo discusses her career trajectory, the importance of out-of-the-box thinking and how technology is both a blessing and a curse for her role. She also gives advice to external counsel she wishes she'd heard when she was one, and reveals the best advice she's ever been given.

What the doctor ordered

January 19, 2016
As well as highlighting the importance of teamwork within an in-house team and between the legal team and others within the business, Michele Kythe Lim, Group Head, Legal & Secretarial/Company Secretary at IHH Healthcare discusses what she feels is essential to in-house success, as well as revealing how she motivates and inspires her team and herself. She also points out how now, legal departments need "to work hand-in-hand with the client".

The importance of communication

January 19, 2016
Robert Southgate, Head of Corporate Governance, Compliance & Contentious Legal for the Asia, Middle East & Africa region for British Telecommunications (BT), reveals to the In-House Community his methods of motivation, what makes external counsel stand out to him and why 'phoning it in' is never the answer.