Wednesday 2nd July 2025

2:00-2:45 – Registration and welcome coffee 

2:45-3:00 – Welcome and introductions

3:00-4:00 – Plenary Session 1: Workplace strategies amid an escalating trade war

With the Trump administration ramping up trade tensions worldwide, businesses operating across the Asia-Pacific region must prepare for significant disruptions. Tariff hikes, export restrictions, and geopolitical tensions are reshaping corporate strategies, affecting supply chains, workforce planning, and regulatory compliance. This panel will examine the legal and operational challenges that businesses face due to the escalating trade dispute and explore the best strategies to mitigate risks while maintaining workforce stability.

Moderator: Nicole Simonian, Partner, Crowell & Moring (California, United States)

Panellists: 

Akiko Yamakawa, Partner, Vanguard Lawyers Tokyo (Japan)
Hannah Navarro-Cruz, Regional Director, Employment Law APAC, Johnson & Johnson (Singapore)
Liz Williamson, Managing Director - Employment Law, Accenture (Singapore)
Manishi Pathak, Founding Partner, Anhad Law (India)

4:00-4:30 – Coffee break

4:30-5:30 – Breakout Session 1: Restructuring projects during uncertain times

As businesses in the Asia-Pacific region grapple with economic headwinds and geopolitical instability, many face the difficult task of workforce restructuring across multiple jurisdictions. Ensuring compliance with diverse legal frameworks while safeguarding corporate reputation and employee wellbeing presents a significant challenge. This panel will bring together legal experts to explore strategies for executing workforce reductions lawfully and ethically while mitigating reputational and litigation risks.

Moderator: Jack Cai, Partner, Eversheds Sutherland (China)

Panellists: 
Ajay Singh Solanki, Partner, AZB & Partners (India)
Catherine Leung, Partner, Lewis Silkin (Hong Kong)
Gou Jun Quek, Global Employment Counsel, Agilent Technologies (Singapore)
Surabhi Madan, Senior Director, Global Legal Counsel, ASM International (Singapore)

4:30-5:30 – Breakout Session 2: Destination Asia: making the most out of global mobility

As businesses expand their operations across the Asia-Pacific region, redeploying key personnel for short- and long-term assignments presents significant logistical and compliance challenges. Navigating the complex landscape of immigration, employment, and tax laws is crucial to ensuring smooth workforce mobility while mitigating risks. This panel will bring together experts to discuss best practices for structuring corporate global mobility programmes, addressing compliance risks, and optimising workforce deployment strategies.

Moderator: Julia Yeo, Partner, Squire Patton Boggs (Singapore)

Panellists:
Apeksha Mattoo, Partner, Trilegal (India)
Charles Johanes, Partner, Fragomen (Australia)
Rashel Ann C. Pomoy, Partner, Villaraza & Angangco (Philippines)

6:15pm onwards – Opening drinks reception at Caffe Fernet

Thursday 3rd July 2025

8:30-9:15 – Registration and welcome coffee

9:15-9:30 – Welcome and introductions

9:30-10:30 – Plenary Session 1: What’s keeping in-housers up at night?

In-house employment lawyers across the Asia-Pacific region face a rapidly evolving legal landscape, requiring them to balance compliance, risk management, and business priorities. This special panel session brings together leading in-house voices to discuss the most pressing issues on their to-do lists and the strategies they are implementing to mitigate risk and drive business success across multiple sectors and industries.

Moderator: Kathryn Weaver, Partner, Seyfarth Shaw (Hong Kong)

Panellists: 
Johanna Black, Director and Associate General Counsel, Head of International Employment Law, Meta (Singapore)
Maria Crabb, Director, Employment Counsel - JAPAC, Palo Alto Networks (Singapore)
Richard Lam, Director - Employment Legal APAC, Netflix (Singapore)
Teresa Young, Head of Employment Law, Director and Senior Managing Legal Counsel, APAC, Boston Consulting Group (Singapore)

10:30-11:00 – Coffee break

11:00-12:00 – Breakout Session 1: Conducting effective internal investigations

Internal investigations are critical for maintaining corporate integrity, ensuring compliance, and mitigating legal and reputational risks. Companies operating in the Asia-Pacific region must navigate complex legal landscapes and cultural sensitivities when conducting investigations. This panel will provide practical guidance on how to initiate and conduct internal investigations effectively, implement findings, and manage potential legal consequences.

Moderator: Selvamalar Alagaratnam, Partner, Skrine (Malaysia)

Panellists: 
Fatim Jumabhoy, Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills (Singapore)
Karen Blondell, Head of Employment Legal, Conduct and Privacy, Fidelity International (Hong Kong)
Russell Lamb, Associate General Counsel, Cathay Pacific, (Hong Kong)
Suruchi Kumar, Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co (India)

11:00-12:00 – Breakout Session 2: How to manage a regional DEI programme

As corporate America grapples with a political shift away from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, businesses worldwide are taking note. Multinational firms operating in the Asia-Pacific region must assess whether Washington pressure may influence their own DEI initiatives, affect corporate compliance requirements, or shape broader workplace culture trends. This panel will explore the legal, business, and reputational implications of DEI policies on APAC-based companies and their workforce strategies.

Moderator: David Smail, Partner, DLA Piper (Singapore)

Panellists:
Aki Tanaka, Shareholder, Littler (Massachusetts, United States)
Stephanie Chiu, Counsel, Freshfields (Hong Kong)
Yvette Anthony, Director, Associate General Counsel - Employment Law APAC, Western Digital (Singapore)

12:00-1:30 – Networking Lunch

1:30-2:30 – Breakout Session 3: Navigating employee disciplinary processes

Following the completion of a complex internal investigation, employers must next turn to managing the employee disciplinary process. But this is made all the more complex when operating across multiple jurisdictions that each present their own legal and operational challenges for businesses. Differences in labour laws, cultural expectations, and procedural requirements can lead to compliance risks and reputational damage if not handled correctly. This panel will explore best practices for conducting fair and legally compliant disciplinary proceedings in key markets, the risks of non-compliance, and strategies for ensuring consistency across regional operations.

Moderator: Aaron Goonrey, Partner, Pinsent Masons (Australia)

Panellists:
Kavitha Rajan, Director, Associate General Counsel - Employment Law, APAC, The Trade Desk (Singapore)
Kelvin Tan, Director - Dispute Resolution, Drew & Napier (Singapore)
Preetha Soman, Partner, JSA Law (India)
Robbie Julius, Counsel, ATD Law in association with Mori Hamada (Indonesia)
Steven Li, Senior Legal Counsel - Global Employment & Litigation, Airwallex (Singapore)

1:30-2:30 – Breakout Session 4: Asia’s demographic decline and shrinking workforce 

As Asia grapples with declining birth rates, ageing populations, and shrinking workforces, governments and employers are reforming parental leave rights, raising retirement ages, and even offering financial incentives to protect national workforces. This session explores the policy dimensions of governments’ responses, how businesses are contributing to family-oriented benefits, and whether employment law is adapting quickly enough to tackle this regional demographic crisis.

Moderator: Lesli Ligorner, Partner, Morgan Lewis (China)

Panellists:
Lisa Zhao, Partner, Fangda Partners (China)
Maria Elms, Group General Counsel, Vitasoy International (Hong Kong)
Soojung Lee, Partner, Yulchon (South Korea)

2:30-3:00 – Coffee break

3:00-4:00 – Plenary Session 2: Rising disputes trends across Asia-Pacific

Workplace disputes across the Asia-Pacific region are on the rise, driven by evolving legislation, shifting employee expectations, and broader economic pressures. This panel will examine the latest employment dispute trends across key markets, analyse the underlying factors driving these disputes, and provide strategic insights on how businesses can proactively mitigate risks and respond effectively to employee claims.

Moderator: Jonathan Yuen, Head, Commercial Litigation & Employment, Rajah & Tann Asia (Singapore)

Panellists:
Abhishek Thanvi, Executive Director & Assistant General Counsel, JP Morgan Chase & Co (India)
Jennifer Tam, Partner, Simmons & Simmons JWS (Hong Kong)
Kate Thackeray, Head of Employment Legal APAC, Google (Australia) 
Stephen Hardy, Partner, K&L Gates (Australia)
Stephen Le, Chairman & Lead Counsel, Le & Tran (Vietnam)

4:00-5:00 – Plenary Session 3: Return of the post-termination playbook

From the risk of intellectual property theft, loss of clients, and disruption of business operations, key employee departures to competitors or to launch their own businesses pose significant challenges for employers. Returning for its second year, legal experts will explore proactive strategies that can protect business interests.

Moderator: Joydeep Hor, Founder and Managing Principal, People + Culture Strategies (Australia)

Panellists:
Cynthia Junavence, Senior Labour and Employment Counsel - APAC, Baker Hughes (Malaysia)
Deepak Kumar, Partner, Khaitan & Co (India)
Joy Anne C. Leong-Pambid, Partner, ACCRALAW (Philippines)
Sanjiv Kumar Rajan, Partner, Allen & Gledhill (Singapore)
Victoria Ho, Deputy General Counsel - APAC, Teradyne (Singapore)

5:00 onwards – Closing remarks from International Employment Lawyer followed by the closing drinks reception