Rijuta is an accomplished in-house counsel with over 13 years of experience in the APAC region’s technology and ecommerce sectors. Her areas of expertise include commercial and compliance matters, data privacy, cyber security, digital laws, capital markets, and fundraising. Passionate about emerging technologies, Rijuta is particularly fascinated by AI, Web3, and blockchains. With a strong track record of delivering effective legal solutions, she navigates complex regulatory landscapes with finesse, ensuring business success and innovation in the ever-evolving digital landscape

Ong Johnson is a results-driven Senior Legal Counsel with extensive expertise in providing strategic legal counsel and guidance to the CEO, directors, and senior stakeholders of a public listed company in Malaysia. He possesses a proven track record of developing effective legal strategies and solutions, and he is adept at collaborating with diverse business units and offering comprehensive legal support across various sectors, including real estate, leasing, project development, construction, hospitality, leisure, and investments. His commitment to the legal profession has garnered recognition through awards and accolades, notably including the “Young Lawyer of the Year (In-House)” at the ALB Malaysia Law Awards 2021 and his inclusion in The Legal 500 GC Powerlist.

Chong has over 1 year of experience in handling all legal and compliance issues for the Company in the ASEAN region comprising Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore , Thailand as well as Australia. Chong has handled corporate exercises such as M&As, ESOS, perusing all legal documentations such as Merchant Services Agreements, Collaboration Agreements, Partnership Agreement, Systems Deployment, Terminal Deployment, Systems Integration and so on for all scheme cards, e wallets, bnpl, epay, mydebit, fpx, tag on which include but not limited to Visa, Mastercard, Diners, Grabpay,TnG, Shopee, Alipay, Alipay+, Atome, Split and so on and collaboration agreements with banks such as MBB, CIMB, PBB, SCBMB, HSBC, ABMB, Bank Islam, Alliance Bank and others. Compliance matters involving all regulators of major ASEAN countries such as Bank Negara Malaysia, Paynet, Bank of Indonesia, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Bank of Thailand and so on which includes but not limited to handling of all audit compliance in relation to TPA Audit Risk Assessment, IT Cyber Risk & Resilience Audit and related Compliance Audit Reports ensuring compliance from all relevant departments of all relevant procedures and policies ranging from BCP, DRP, Data Centres, Terminals and so on. Handling of all litigation matters arising thereto which include court and international arbitration disputes. Driving the Sustainability of the Company for ESG Compliance which includes ensuring compliance of economic social and governance of the Company is in line with the global GRI standards reporting and Bursa FTSE4Good Index to enhance the shareholder’s value. Advising the GCEO and the Board on all legal and compliance matters in particular compliance of the MCCG and drafting and ensuring full compliance of policies such as Anti Bribery and Corruption Policy (ABC Policy), Data Privacy Policy (DPP), Gender Diversity Policy (GDP), Labour Policy (LP) and Human Rights Policy (HRP) as well as being part of the Risk Management Committee (RMC).

Chong Kok Wai has a legal background, having obtained a Certificate of Legal Practice from the Legal Qualifying Board of Malaysia in 1998 and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of London in 1996. Chong is also a member of IIA-The Institute of Internal Auditors Malaysia.

With 28 years of experience as an in-house counsel, Yusmadi is a seasoned legal professional. Throughout his career, Yusmadi has held pivotal roles in various subsidiaries within PETRONAS, spanning Legal Compliance, Upstream, LNG, and the Retail Business. His diverse background has endowed him with a holistic understanding of the industry’s nuances and challenges. Prior to his current role, Yusmadi served as the General Counsel of Compliance Strategy Planning of PETRONAS Group Legal. In this capacity, he demonstrated his expertise for strategic planning and compliance management, further solidifying his reputation as a legal expert in the field. Presently, Yusmadi holds the position of General Counsel at PETRONAS Dagangan Berhad, where his rich experience and legal skills continue to guide PETRONAS Dagangan Berhad’s legal strategies and compliance initiatives. Yusmadi completed his LLB (Hons) degree from Leeds University, United Kingdom and holds a Certificate in Legal Practice.

Merle Fernandez brings 26 years of experience as a Legal Counsel and Company Secretary. As the Chief Legal Officer, she is responsible for all legal affairs of the corporation, including providing legal counsel to the Board of Directors, chairman of the Board, Chief Executive, and Senior Management. She is also HRD Corp’s company secretary, where she provides her expertise in corporate governance and ensures the organization’s regulatory compliance. Prior to joining HRD Corp, Merle practiced law for a few years before working with the Antah Healthcare Group for 12 years and the FGV IFFCO Group of Companies as Head of Legal and Company Secretary for 7 years. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Law (LLB) from the University of London, Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) and is a licenced company Secretary with Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia. She is also a certified internal auditor for various organisations, including Round Table Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). Merle has also participated as a speaker in legal conferences and summits.

Jess joined BAE Systems in December 2017. She is currently the Counsel for the Asia Pacific region
based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
She provides legal and compliance support to the International Government business unit under the
Digital Intelligence umbrella.
 Negotiate and draft contracts for complex and sophisticated transactions for cyber services.
–  Managing commercial divestments and entity establishments aligning to corporate
governance of the Company and respective laws in country.
– Carry out company secretarial duties internally and liaising with relevant company
secretaries across 7 entities in the region.
– Conduct yearly trainings in the respective compliance subjects (Due Diligence, Data
Protection and Anti-Bribery Corruption).

Khai is a senior associate of the Firm’s Intellectual Property, Technology, Multimedia and Telecommunications (IP/TMT) practice group. Primarily involved in the registration of all forms
of IP; rendering legal advice and services on IP protection and enforcement; sales, acquisitions and licensing of IP; conducting IP due diligence, rendering legal advice on all franchising matter including compliance, franchise structure and franchise agreement, handling of franchise registration.
While global technology continues to undergo exponential advancement and growth, Khai also provides legal advice and/or negotiate on behalf of clients in respect of deals or transactions that are technology centric. These deals or transactions include
purchase, installation, implementation and integration of enterprise software and/or hardware; commercialization and
implementation of state-of-the-art technology; sales and
acquisition of inventions; advisory services in relation to regulatory and compliance with local legislations; cross border transfer of personal data; technology licensing.

Nishtha is a distinguished technology & innovation focused lawyer with over 16 years of experience in handling complex legal and regulatory issues in healhtcare, particularly in the Asia region.  She has acted as a Chief Legal Officer at Asia s largest private sector hospital chain, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui & Co and steategised digital operations frameworks. She has been nominated among a select panel of UN WIPO’s Neutral (Arbitrator/Mediator) in Asia. Previously, in her role of Legal Director, ASEAN, Japan & Korea at Reckitt, she managed legal affairs contributing towards innovative solutions to people’s everyday challenges in the arena of health and well-being. As Legal Head of Asia for another dynamic, US head-quartered health-tech company, Carestream Health Inc, a portfolio company of a USD44-Billion private-equity firm, Onyx, she successfully contributed to the company’s journey to become the Asia’s preferred innovative solution provider in the digital health space. Prior to joining Carestream, she was the in-house counsel and Data Privacy Officer at Philips Electronics Pte Ltd for ASEAN and South-East Asia operations and lead lawyer for Philips Innovation and Development Asia. She started her career as a dispute lawyer of world’s leading dispute law firm, Herbert Smith where she worked on some of the most complex cross border disputes. She was one of the youngest to be appointed as co-head of India desk at Herbert Smith’s Singapore office.  She has also held Board position in the Singapore chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), one of the world’s largest professional association of in-house counsels.  A prominent thought leader and avid contributor to public policy debates shaping the future of  health- tech, intellectual property, data privacy and use of AI by legal sector, Nishtha has been speaking and moderating at various international conferences. She has been mentoring start-ups and acting as an evangelist to help shape the digital future of the legal profession. She graduated with First Class Honours (LL.B) and also holds a Masters’ degree in law. She has completed Executive Programs on Strategy and Negotiations at Harvard University, Strategic Management Program from NUS Business School. She feels strongly about charitable causes and utilizing creative arts as a medium for contributing to society. To this end, she has directed   numerous plays, scripted and directed a music album with an aim to raise funds for blind school children and for palliative care children in Singapore. She is ever willing to be a drop in an ocean called change for good!

Jacelyn graduated with an LLB from King’s College London and is called to both the English and Malaysian bars. She started her legal career as a corporate litigator in Malaysia before moving on to a US law firm in Beijing and thereafter to a bank in Hong Kong. On returning to Malaysia, Jacelyn worked across industries, heading Legal departments in a hospitality chain and also a telecommunications company. She is currently the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of Hong Leong Financial Group where she oversees the legal and compliance functions of the financial group companies comprising the commercial bank, investment bank and insurance business.

Nik Azli, age 53, was appointed as the Group General Counsel effective 1 October 2022. He holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom. He has attained the Certificate of Legal Practice, Malaysia and was called to the High Court of Malaya as an Advocate and Solicitor. Nik has extensive experience as an in-house counsel and has been part of the leadership team of several prominent organisations. Prior to joining TM, he was the Group General Counsel of Sapura Energy Berhad. During his time there, he successfully negotiated and completed the Global Multi-Currency Facility financing exercise involving 13 local and foreign banks. Whilst at Malaysia Airline Berhad (MAB), as the Group Chief Corporate Services Officer, he re-negotiated an aircraft purchase contract to reduce MAB’s liability exposure, among other achievements. He was responsible in leading the Legal team that saw through the merger exercise between SapuraCrest Petroleum Berhad and Kencana Petroleum Berhad and the start of SapuraKecana Petroleum Berhad, as a new merged and listed entity. In addition to that, as the Head of Legal at Energy & Utilities Division, Sime Darby, he successfully negotiated and concluded a Settlement Agreement resulting in a significant write-back to the Division. Nik and his team were the recipients of the Energy and Resources In-House Legal Team Award at the prestigious Asia Legal Business (ALB) Malaysia Law Awards in 2015. He has also served at reputable legal firms in Malaysia including Zul Rafique & Partners and Zaid Ibrahim & Co. Whilst in practice, he also advised several multinational companies in commercial transactions and energy & utility projects, including overseas transactions and projects spanning from China to the Middle East.

Since 2022, Navrita has been serving as Group Chief Legal Officer (GCLO) of Microlink Solutions Berhad, providing expert and strategic legal advice to senior management on a wide range of matters. She is heavily involved in corporate exercises undertaken by the Group, responsible for the negotiation of commercial IT contracts as well as drafting key policies. Navrita obtained her LLB in 2005 from University of London and went on to achieve her Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) from the Malaysian Legal Qualifying Board in 2006. She was admitted to the Malaysian Bar in 2007 and subsequently worked as an Advocate & Solicitor in the Litigation Department at Messrs Shook Lin & Bok where she gained valuable experience in handling contractual, civil, construction, land and company disputes. Prior to joining Microlink, Navrita was the Group General Counsel and then subsequently GCLO of the Omesti Group. Navrita’s work has earned numerous honours, including Finalist in the Asian Legal Business (ALB) South East Asia Law Awards 2023 in both the Young Lawyer of the Year (In-house) and  Woman Lawyer of the Year (In- house) categories as well as Finalist in the Legal 500 Southeast Asia Awards 2023 for the In-house lawyer of the Year category. Navrita was included in the Legal 500 GC Powerlist Southeast Asia 2022 and recently, in the Legal 500 GC Powerlist Malaysia 2023.

Academic Qualification:

• Doctor of Philosophy, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia
• LLM, UNIVERSITY MALAYA, Malaysia
• LLB, UNIVERSITY MALAYA, Malaysia

Awards and Stewardship

• International e-Content Development Competition 2022, Competition, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UITM), Creativity , 2022
• Invention, Innovation & Design on e-Learning (IIDEL) Competition , Competition, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Creativity , 2022

With over 17 years in legal and IT, Sasha Ko is an experienced Marketing Expert and CMO. Starting in international law firms with a focus on strategic business development and communications, Sasha then spent eight transformative years in IT. Here, she was instrumental in launching innovative projects at the nexus of artificial intelligence, medicine, fintech, and law.
With deep insights into legal challenges and AI applications, Sasha Ko, Business Partner at DraftMe.Ai Malaysia, is a distinguished speaker bringing invaluable insights to the Asia LegalTech Leaders Summit.

Shaleni graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the University of London in 2008 and thereafter completed her CLP in 2009 and was admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor to the High Court of Malaya in 2010. She started her pupillage and legal career with Skrine and was made Partner in 2019, her key practice areas were arbitration, commercial and civil disputes, investigations and advisory work for anti-bribery and corruption and anti-money laundering; internal investigations and fraud and asset recovery. In 2022, Shaleni joined the Astro Group as the Head of Compliance and Principle Legal Advisor handling all compliance matters for the Group as well as litigation and anti-piracy matters.

With over 14 years of work experience in the legal field, Rohit is currently the Director of Legal and Compliance for South Asia at Zimmer Biomet, a global leader in musculoskeletal healthcare. In this role, he is responsible for managing all legal and compliance matters for the region, including contracts, litigation, regulatory affairs, anti-corruption, data privacy, and ethics. He also supports the business development, sales, and marketing teams with strategic advice and guidance on legal and compliance risks and opportunities. Prior to joining Zimmer Biomet, he was an Associate Partner at Economic Laws Practice (ELP), a leading law firm in India, where he handled complex and high-profile cases in corporate law, competition law, arbitration, and litigation. He has also published several articles on emerging legal issues and challenges in the telecom, healthcare, and digital sectors. He is passionate about delivering excellence and value to his clients and stakeholders while upholding the highest standards of integrity and professionalism.

Award winning transformist providing strategic advice and execution to multinationals and governments in Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and India covering transportation, Energy, Telecoms & Media, Healthcare, Education and the Public Sector.

Areas of expertise include Risk Management, Strategic Planning, Transformation, Corporate Governance, Change Management, Sustainability, Process Improvement, Internal Controls, Integrity, and Internal Audit.

Currently driving the following functions at PLUS:
– Risk Management
– Resilience, Business Continuity & Recovery
– Programme Management (PMO)
– Sustainability (ESG)
– Integrity & Compliance
– Process Improvement
– Assurance & Internal Control

Experienced Director and a qualified forensic accountant with a demonstrated history of white collar crime buster for various industries and various Governments in Asia. Skilled in Risk Management, , Auditing, , Strategic Planning and over 15 years of experience in investigating large corporate frauds in South-East Asia as well as South Asia. Strong background of working with well established law firms to provide litigation support services and damage quantification. Strong professional with a Diploma in Forensic Investigative Accounting from University of Toronto. Currently leading fraud investigation team involving GLCS and public listed companies. Member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Malaysian Institute of Accountants and ACFE.