Head of Legal, APAC & Associate General Counsel

Location: Singapore

Function: Legal

Reports To: General Counsel / Deputy General Counsel

Coverage: Asia Pacific (ASEAN, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Australia & New Zealand)

Experience: Minimum 15yrs relevant experience

Summary

We are seeking a seasoned legal leader to serve as Head of Legal, APAC & Associate General Counsel, providing strategic legal leadership and business partnership across the Asia Pacific region. This role will lead legal support for complex commercial transactions, regulatory compliance, litigation management, corporate governance, and business expansion initiatives across multiple jurisdictions. The successful candidate will act as a trusted advisor to senior business stakeholders, driving legal risk management while enabling business growth and operational excellence in one of the most dynamic global markets.

In addition, this role will lead and develop a high-performing regional legal team comprising counsel located across APAC and offshore support locations.

Key Roles & Responsibilities

• Provides legal advisory to APAC business teams on cross-border issues; supports HR, sales and operations; advises on regulatory frameworks
• Advises on RFPs and multi-country contracts; negotiates agreements; identifies jurisdictional risks; negotiates high value and complex IT services agreement with customers, and provide guidance to APAC Legal counsels on review and closures of the customer contracts. ,
• Advises on property/legal documentation across APAC; reviews leases and acquisition documents; ensures compliance
• Conducts legal awareness workshops; builds understanding of country-specific laws; maintains legal templates
• Advises on local regulations across APAC; tracks regulatory changes; ensures compliance readiness
• Supports litigation across jurisdictions; coordinates with external counsel; manages notices and disputes
• Advises on APAC M&A deals; supports due diligence; reviews contract documents; identifies regulatory risks
• Will manage and provide guidance to legal counsels in APAC countries, and also legal counsel based at offshore locations supporting APAC
• Guides regional teams; drives collaboration; monitors capability gaps
• Builds expertise in APAC laws; upskills in cross-border domains; aligns development with regional roles