Law, culture and geopolitics—the intersection where APAC GC leadership gets interesting. A pleasure to explore all three yesterday at the The Economist's General Counsel Summit Asia 2026 with Olivia Seet, Eugene Nai and moderator John Ferguson.
Law: Legal competence is the starting point, not the whole job. No APAC GC can master every jurisdiction’s blackletter law. The real challenge is leading teams, influencing business leaders, and exercising good judgment—skills that go well beyond knowing the law.
Culture: Across APAC’s diverse countries, I keep coming back to three essentials: listening, curiosity and humility. Learning about each culture matters. Listen for what is said—and what isn’t. Stay curious enough to keep learning, and humble enough to recognize that understanding deepens but is never complete. These habits help us navigate the differences.
Geopolitics: Our organizations need to build resilience, not rely on prediction. We can’t count on knowing what comes next. We can build an organization better able to handle it.
#EconGCAsia #LegalLeadership #WeAreOtis