Head of Legal, APAC

Head of Legal APAC (Senior Legal Counsel)

Location: Shanghai China

About the Role

As Head of Legal APAC you will serve as a key legal and compliance leader partnering closely with regional management and global stakeholders to support business growth across the Asia Pacific region. Reporting directly to the General Counsel you will serve as a key member of both the global legal leadership team and the regional leadership team providing strategic legal and compliance guidance to support business objectives and decision-making across APAC.

You will lead legal and compliance activities across multiple jurisdictions balancing commercial opportunities with effective risk management while ensuring adherence to the highest ethical and governance standards. This role combines strategic business partnering people leadership compliance oversight talent development and hands-on legal support in a dynamic international environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the trusted legal and compliance advisor to APAC leadership providing pragmatic and business-oriented counsel on strategic and operational matters.
• Serve as a member of the regional leadership team contributing legal compliance and risk perspectives to key business and strategic decisions.
• Lead legal support across the region including commercial contracts regulatory matters disputes investigations intellectual property and day-to-day business activities.
• Lead internal investigations related to whistleblower reports employee misconduct compliance breaches and other sensitive matters ensuring appropriate resolution and risk mitigation.
• Drive compliance and ethics programs across APAC including anti-bribery and corruption sanctions export controls competition law data privacy and third-party due diligence.
• Develop and deliver legal and compliance training awareness and knowledge-sharing initiatives to promote a strong culture of ethics integrity and compliance across the region.
• Oversee regional compliance risk assessments monitoring programs and mitigation plans to address evolving legal regulatory and business risks.
• Identify and mitigate legal contractual regulatory and commercial risks while enabling sustainable business growth and operational excellence.
• Support regional and global business initiatives including procurement distribution regulatory transformation and M&A-related projects.
• Support corporate governance matters and oversee legal entity management activities across APAC ensuring compliance with local regulatory requirements and corporate policies.
• Lead coach and develop a high-performing regional legal team including three direct reports while fostering legal talent development and succession planning across APAC.
• Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders regulators and external advisors across the region.

What Were Looking For

• Law degree (LL.M. or equivalent) and qualified to practice law in at least one jurisdiction.
• 10 years of post-qualification legal experience ideally combining private practice and in-house legal leadership within multinational organizations.
• Extensive experience supporting businesses across multiple APAC markets and navigating complex cross-border legal and compliance matters.
• Strong expertise in commercial contracting compliance investigations risk management regulatory affairs and intellectual property protection.
• Demonstrated experience leading legal teams and developing legal talent in a multinational environment.
• Proven ability to influence senior executives manage competing priorities and translate legal complexity into practical business solutions.
• Fluent in English and Chinese with outstanding communication stakeholder management and leadership capabilities.

Why Join Us

This is a unique opportunity to lead legal and compliance activities across a diverse APAC region partner directly with the General Counsel and senior business leaders and play a critical role in shaping business strategy governance and sustainable growth in a global organization.

Application due

Seniority Level

Job Functions

Industry

Chemicals

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