The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) continues to expand its global network with its first chapter in Asia. With more than 100 members representing more than 70 corporations, the ACC Singapore Chapter will provide programs, resources and networking opportunities to in-house lawyers in the region.
- Leaders of the ACC Singapore Chapter come from a variety of multinational corporations in the region and include
- President Jo Anne Schwendinger, regional general counsel, Asia-Pacific & Sub-Saharan Africa for John Deere
- Vice President Gerard Chan, vice president, Legal and Public Affairs, Asia Pacific/Japan for Symantec
- Secretary Kathleen Dohmlo, general counsel for LANXESS Butyl Pte. Ltd.
- Treasurer Welly Tantono, counsel, Asia Pacific for Bain & Company
- Sponsorship Committee Co-Chair James Yule, legal manager - APAC Region for UPS Asia
- Sponsorship Committee Co-Chair Nathan Lau, senior corporate counsel, Legal and Public Affairs, Asia Pacific/Japan for Symantec
- Membership Committee Co-Chair Bonnie Hobbs, associate general counsel for Accenture
- Membership Committee Co-Chair Roque Jose Castillo, senior compliance counsel, Asia for Tyco
“Forming the new Singapore chapter was a natural step in ACC’s international growth and part of our strategic plan to serve the needs of the global in-house community,” said Veta T. Richardson, president and chief executive officer of ACC.
The chapter plans to leverage its education programs on trade compliance, new legal and legislative developments and country-specific resources related to data protection, as well as its in-house network, to connect members and help Singapore in-house lawyers collaborate. Chapter members have identified competition law, data protection and compliance as the biggest issues in the region at this time. The chapter has organized speakers to address insurance provisions in multi-country contracts for its upcoming program.
Other members to serve on the initial board of directors include:
- Clive Anderson, Head of Legal and Compliance, South East Asia for Manulife Singapore
- Richard Duda, Counsel, Asia Pacific for Ingredion Incorporated
- Christopher Murphy Ives, VP, Deputy General Counsel APJ for Hewlett-Packard Company
- Richard Walker, VP General Counsel Asia Pacific and Latin America for Reckitt Benckiser
- Julie Yip, Senior Legal Counsel for Ingram Micro Asia Pacific Pte Ltd.
“ACC is renowned for the resources it provides corporate lawyers around the world,” Ms. Schwendinger said. “As chapter president, my goal is to work with our founding board of directors to develop a strong network for in-house counsel in Singapore to assure that ACC provides the resources and tools necessary to address compliance and regulatory issues triggered by Singapore’s dynamic, rapidly changing business environment.”
Members of the Singapore Chapter are not alone in their interest in issues related to compliance, regulatory changes and information and data privacy. According to ACC's 2013 Chief Legal Officers (CLO) Survey, these are the leading concerns for more than 1,100 CLOs and general counsel in 36 countries, including Singapore. The report, published earlier this year, shows more than 80 percent of respondents place these issues as top priorities.
For more information, please visit www.acc.com/chapters/singapore.