Vice President, Legal

Job Scope / Position Summary

The Group General Counsel Function is part of the Group Head Office and is led by the Group Head of Legal, who is the ultimate responsible for the legal, regulatory and Group corporate matters, with the exception of those assigned to the Group Compliance Officer.

The Vice President, Legal reports to the General Counsel Malaysia.

The Vice President, Legal takes the leadership and responsibility for supporting General Counsel Malaysia managing the legal affairs team and works, implementing regional directives as communicated by General Counsel Malaysia, ensuring timelines and quality check on information submitted to General Counsel Malaysia are accurate and within stipulated time.

Main Responsibility

1. Lead the Legal Affairs Team of Generali Insurance Malaysia

• To the extent permitted by local laws and regulations
• Supervise legal teams of Generali Insurance Malaysia Berhad.
• Ensure adequate training and control of the team with a view to effectively managing legal risks.
• Implement adequate procedures for monitoring team activity
• Identify and mentor talents.
• Build best practice, building legal skills and capabilities / coaching / mentoring / developing teams.
• Hire, calibrate, review and consolidate local direct reports.
• Implement and take charge of any changes, ensure anticipation of coming challenges and risks.
• Prepare and support General Counsel Malaysia to manage department budgets and expenses.
• Monitor and supervise any new appointment of external counsels.
• Monitor and ensure that the legal record keeping directories are in order.

2. Take overall responsibility for all legal and regulatory matters - provide quality support and advice to the management of Generali in Malaysia

• Ensure adequate support of the business in all types of contract negotiations, drafting and reviewing relevant agreements, focusing on implementing and improving standard forms, checklists and other control tools for efficiently managing legal risks of the company.
• Ensuring the independent management of the legal aspects of projects, particularly relating to digitalization strategies, to the highest standards.
• Ensuring oversight of litigious complaints, ombudsman and litigation matters.
• Provide legal advice at all levels of the organization with a focus on insurance law, general business law, corporate law, technology/data privacy and competition law related issues.
• Coordinating with the regional office and outside counsel on the above referenced matters as and when required.
• Perform legal monitoring on assignment of legal works in relation to the above.
• Assess/implement appropriate tools for improving the efficiency of the management of legal and corporate affairs such as activity management tools, contract management tools, board management tools etc.

3. Where required, provide active support to GARO regarding

Malaysian legal matters, lead and/or take an active role in strategic projects, both local, regional and global, support to GHO and GARO on M&A, bancassurance and other transactions as instructed by General Counsel Malaysia.

4. Execute and monitor the implementation of GHO and regional guidelines, operating procedures, methodologies and templates and reporting and escalation to General Counsel Malaysia in case of material matters.

Qualification and Experience Requirement

• Degree in law with honors from a top tier law school or similar qualification
• At least 7-10 years post qualification experience working within the legal department of an international company, ideally in the insurance industry, with previous private practice experience in a top tier law firm.
• Knowledge of best practices and statutory compliance applicable to the area of work.
• Have a strong legal background.
• Strong knowledge of the Malaysian insurance market and regulators.
• Be well organized, self-motivated and have a strong ability to work on their own initiative.
• Possess strong organisational skills.
• Possess strong analytical and problem-solving skill.
• Have a proven ability to work well in and, if asked to do so, lead, cross functional teams.
• Possess the proven ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines.
• Possess excellent relationship building, communications, negotiation and convincing skills.
• Possess strong understanding on how businesses work and be able to implement efficient and business oriented legal and compliance solutions.
• Fluent in both written and spoken English and Bahasa.