Charuwan Charoonchitsathian, a partner in Tilleke & Gibbins’ corporate and commercial group in Bangkok, was featured in a recent Asian Legal Business article on M&A trends and how firms are adapting their transactional legal work to embrace new technologies. The interview was part of their September 2022 issue, in which the magazine announced their annual Asia M&A rankings. Charuwan represented Tilleke & Gibbins (which received rankings in both Thailand and Vietnam) to offer insight into how the firm has seen various new technologies gain prominence in the M&A space in Southeast Asia. She noted that companies around the world are getting more deeply involved in technological approaches such as DeFi, blockchain, and various other Web3 innovations. She also explained why it is important for lawyers to understand these technologies in order to provide relevant and effective legal services to facilitate deals between companies in these sectors. She raised the example of Tilleke & Gibbins, which has a “dedicated technology practice group which brings together commercial, IP, and disputes lawyers who each have extensive knowledge and expertise in these emerging business areas. Our experts provide regulatory advice and analysis on how the governments in our jurisdictions will regulate Web3 technologies – not just how they are doing so now, but how they are likely to do so in future – to help future-proof transactions with a substantial technology element.” Asian Legal Business, owned by Thomson Reuters, is a leading source of information for businesses and professionals active in the region. To see Charuwan’s full comments, please see the September issue of Asian Legal Business.

On July 12, 2022, Nopparat Lalitkomon, a senior associate in Tilleke & Gibbins’ corporate and commercial group in Bangkok, spoke at an event on the principles of Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). The session was organized in collaboration with True Digital Park and True Digital Group (TDG). Presenting along with the head of data privacy for TDG, Nopparat addressed the following issues to equip startup companies with essential knowledge to fully comply with the law. Data minimization; Managing data security; Data breach prevention; Principles of data protection officer roles; Data subject rights; Key consideration when setting up an application; and New sub-regulations under the Personal Data Protection Act; The event closed with an FAQ session.

On July 7, 2022, Nopparat Lalitkomon, senior associate, and Gvavalin Mahakunkitchareon, associate of the firm’s corporate and commercial group collaborated with Microfocus and CyberRes in hosting a webinar entitled “ PDPA: Managing and Minimizing Data Protection Risks.” In this online session, the speakers covered the following items: Overview of the Personal Data Protection Act 2019; Roles and responsibilities of data controllers or data processors; Rights of data subjects; and Updates on new subregulations under the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).

On June 17, 2022, two attorneys in the firm’s corporate and commercial group in Bangkok—Charuwan Charoonchitsathian, partner, and Gvavalin Mahakunkitchareon, associate—were keynote speakers for a special focus session organized by the Thailand office of Plug and Play Tech Center. During the session, Charuwan and Gvavalin walked attendees through the latest legal developments applicable to innovative technologies in the smart cities sector, including: Artificial intelligence (AI), cloud services, and internet of things (IOT); Data protection updates from the recent PDPA public hearings; and Evolving cybersecurity regulations. The Plug and Play Tech Center in Bangkok is the local branch of global startup ecosystem and innovation hub helping entrepreneurs gain access to expertise, guidance, and structural support needed to grow their business. For more information, please see the Plug and Play Tech Center website.