An interview with Lewis H. Truong, General Counsel at Manulife in Vietnam.
What are the biggest external forces or trends currently shaping your role as General Counsel and how are you responding to them?
1. Technology remains a big factor, especially A.I., as it is touching all facets of the business and as a legal & compliance function, how do we capitalise on this, transform as well as adopt & adapt to the change, whilst supporting the business.
2. Geopolitical landscape is also another factor as the macro movements have an almost domino impact to the executive decision making of our business.
How are you balancing the increasing demands of legal risk management with the expectation to drive business value and strategic insight?
Balancing both has not changed, as a matter of fact a higher demand for empathy, deeper understanding of the nuances and coaching to the business is demanded. We live in a VUCA world, where adapting to change requires an ability to anticipate the change before it comes and sensitise the stakeholders to it.
What’s one lesson or insight from your in-house journey that you wish you’d known earlier and would share with a fellow GC today?
First, seek to understand, then to be understood. People often only listen to our advice when we have demonstrated we have the ability to understand their pain and challenges.
