Tiziana Sucharitkul, managing partner and director of Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution group, provided in-depth insights on diversity and inclusion and law firms for a recent article in Asia Business Law Journal (ABLJ) on diversity and inclusion in law firms across Asia. In the article, which was published on March 30, 2022, Tiziana offers insights gained in her years in senior leadership at Tilleke & Gibbins and as a longtime advocate for law firm diversity and inclusion initiatives. The article begins by contrasting the demand for greater diversity among Western law firms—especially by corporate counsel—with attitudes in Asia, where questions of expertise and service often take precedence when it comes to legal work. The writer then quickly shifts to investigating the reasons for this, as well as exploring the current state of diversity in the Asian legal industry today. This section of the article leads with Tiziana’s explanation that leadership of Asian law firms are in a very different context than the social tensions that catalyzed many diversity initiatives in the West. However, this does not necessarily mean that diverse representation has lagged in this part of the world. Rather, as Tiziana points out, “Southeast Asian countries have some of the highest proportions of women in senior business leadership in the world.” She also notes that markers such as gender diversity and respect for minority rights can vary widely across Asia. Elsewhere in the article, other senior law firm leaders express similar observations and provide details on the diversity challenges in their countries of focus. For example, an expert on diversity in the Indian legal profession notes that local diversity concerns must also consider caste discrimination, and a partner at a global firm in Singapore speaks about the challenges of developing diversity policies that fit each local context. Tiziana

At the annual general meeting of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA) on March 24, Pimvimol (June) Vipamaneerut, a partner in the firm’s corporate and commercial group in Bangkok, was elected as IPBA’s jurisdictional committee member for Thailand. In the role, Pimvimol will be responsible for membership issues in Thailand, and will be the key point of contact for matters concerning activities in the jurisdiction. She will serve as Thailand’s jurisdictional committee member for three years (2022–2025). The IPBA is a prestigious international association of business and commercial attorneys active or with a strong interest in the Pacific region. The IPBA has a membership of more than 1,500 legal professionals from over 65 countries and jurisdictions. Through its activities, the IPBA provides lawyers interested in the Asia-Pacific with opportunities to discuss legal, business, and policy issues affecting the region and grow in their legal practice through professional networking. For more information on the IPBA and its activities, please visit the IPBA website.

On March 2, the Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce (AustCham Thailand) elected new executives at its annual general meeting. In the ballot, Chaiwat Keratisuthisathorn, a partner in Tilleke & Gibbins’ coporate and commercial group, was reelected to the board of directors and chosen to become one of the organization’s vice presidents. Having recently completed his first two-year term on the AustCham Thailand board, Chaiwat’s reelection on March 2 marks the beginning of his second consecutive term. The vice president position to which he was named—one of four in Austcham—carries a one-year term. In his role as director and vice president, Chaiwat continue to represent AustCham Thailand and Tilleke & Gibbins in high-level meetings, organize and participate in AustCham Thailand activities and events, and further support the interests of the Australian business community in Thailand. For more details on the chamber’s activities, please see the AustCham Thailand website.

Tilleke & Gibbins partners in the firm’s Bangkok and Hanoi offices were quoted in Lex Mundi’s newly released Global M&A Trends Report 2022. The report covers notable trends, issues, and forecasts for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) around the world. Kobkit Thienpreecha, partner and director of Tilleke & Gibbins’ corporate and commercial department, was sought out for his comments on the M&A picture in Thailand, while Thomas Treutler, partner and managing director of the firm’s Vietnam offices, gave his insights into the M&A landscape in Vietnam. The Global M&A Trends Report 2022 was produced by the Lex Mundi Cross-Border Transactions Group, and it analyzes M&A deal activity by sector and market. Overall, the report, which compiles market intelligence from practitioners in 66 jurisdictions, finds that 2021 was a record year for M&A deal activity and that most jurisdictions expect to see a similarly active environment in 2022. The full report is available on the Lex Mundi website.