On March 28, two lawyers from Tilleke & Gibbins’ corporate and commercial group—Nopparat Lalitkomon, senior associate, and Gvavalin Mahakunkitchareon, associate—spoke at an event titled “PDPA Is Coming: What Should I Be Doing Now?” hosted by the Thai-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce (NorCham) in Bangkok. During the in-person session, Gvavalin and Nopparat presented on the following topics: Impact of the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) on Thai companies; Advice on how to prepare and implement PDPA compliance procedures; Overview of PDPA subordinate regulations; and Penalties for failure to comply with PDPA provisions, and key lessons from the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU. As the PDPA is set to come into effect on June 1, 2022, after repeated delays caused by the pandemic, the session was very well attended by representatives of companies looking to ensure that their data protection policies and practices are in line with the new law.

On March 10, Nopparat Lalitkomon, a senior associate in Tilleke & Gibbins’ corporate and commercial group in Bangkok, was featured in the Lexology Connect: Philippines 2022 webinar to address regulatory risks and data management in Thailand. Nopparat appeared in the webinar session titled “Redefining Data” to give perspectives on data protection practices and trends elsewhere in the region. During the discussion, he provided an overview of the data privacy framework in Thailand, shared useful tips for managing and preventing data leaks, and addressed key elements of cross-border data transactions. His presentation assisted legal professionals in the Philippines to have a better understanding of the differences between the two countries’ data protection regulations, so that legal practitioners in Philippines could better serve clients who have concerns related to data management in Thailand.

On February 25, Krisna Bovornratanaraks, counsel in the firm’s Bangkok office; Nopparat Lalitkomon, senior associate of the firm’s corporate and commercial group; and Pongpalin Chantrapirom, associate in the firm’s dispute resolution group, offered a webinar titled “The Relation between Cyber Threats and Personal Data Protection: What Thai Businesses Need to Know.” The session was presented in conjunction with Metro System Corporation, Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), and the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA). During the presentation, the speakers discussed notable cyber threat cases around the globe, the principles behind Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), the PDPA’s approach to cyberattack issues, and case studies from European countries. A recording of the webinar (in Thai) is available on the Tilleke & Gibbins YouTube channel.

On February 24, Tilleke & Gibbins, in collaboration with the Thai Business Association of Myanmar and the Thai Business Association of the Lao PDR, delivered a Thai-language webinar titled “How to Export Cosmetics to Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, and Parallel Importation and Case Studies in Thailand.” The 90-minute session was led by a number of Tilleke & Gibbins’ regulatory affairs (RA) specialists: Atthachai Homhuan, director of the firm’s regulatory affairs (RA) group in Bangkok; Dino Santaniello, head of the Laos office; Ratchanee Sriplaek, RA consultant in Thailand; Saithong Rattana, associate in the Laos office; Thanathon Trakoolpolpruek, RA consultant in Thailand; and Yuwadee Thean-ngarm, director of the firm’s Myanmar office. Together, the speakers addressed the following issues: Compliance with cosmetics laws and regulations in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar; Regulatory requirements for product labels and advertisements; Best practices and success stories related to exporting beauty products; Avoiding double importation; and Relevant case studies from Thailand. A recording of the webinar (in Thai) is available on the Tilleke & Gibbins YouTube channel.