As Procter & Gamble's general counsel for Asia and Greater China, Michael Qiu is managing more than 30 in-house lawyers across 14 Asia markets from his Guangzhou office

Back in 1994, giving up career opportunities in well-established international firms in the US and Hong Kong, such as Baker & McKenzie and Deacons, to join a newly established foreign invested company in China was probably considered as a bold move. But that move has led Michael Qiu to where he is today - Procter & Gamble's general counsel for Asia and Greater China. 

When Qiu first joined Procter & Gamble, he was the first in-house counsel for the company's China operation and was one of the first in-house legal professionals in China. Over the past 15 years, he has built up a strong in-house legal group in China, which won Foreign Company In-house Team of the Year at the 2009 ALB China Law Awards.

Having just celebrated its 20th year in China in 2008, P&G is now into its third decade in the country. Greater China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan) currently ranks number two in sales volume amongst all of P&G's regional markets worldwide, and among top five in sales value.

Qiu's promotion to the Asia leadership in 2006 is a clear recognition of his contribution to the success of the business and the importance of the Greater China market. 

Embracing globalisation
P&G has on-the-ground operations in 14 markets in Asia, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. In each of these markets, P&G retains in-house legal counsel with local expertise and experience. Managing a team of more than 30 in-house lawyers across so many jurisdictions requires a leadership that is capable of transcending cultural, linguistic and geographical boundaries and adaptable to the different business and legal environment and risk profiles. 

Having been at the helm for three years, Qiu clearly takes his challenging job in stride. "My responsibilities as the Asia general counsel are mainly at the managerial level, such as strategic planning and envisioning, budgeting and management of staff," he says. "I rely on competent local in-house lawyers to guide the company through various legal and regulatory challenges and assist with growth strategies in different countries."

Qiu also makes good use of the technology available to work with his team in Asia. Most of the communication takes place by phone, video conference or via e-mail and Qui ensures he stays in regular contact with his team. His goal is to proactively manage legal risks and provide the first-class legal services to the company on both business development and organisation building.

Meanwhile, an established information and knowledge sharing system within P&G ensures the Asia team is an integral part of the group's global legal team and is continuously broadening its expertise and improving its services.

"The Asia team constantly exchanges know-how and information with legal teams in other part of the world," says Qiu. "When a new issue arises that the Asia team has never dealt with before, we can usually leverage the expertise and experience of other teams that have handled similar issues, and vice versa." 

At P&G, there is also a list of preferred external legal advisors around the world, which Qiu often refers to when he needs extra manpower or expertise to handle certain matters in the region.

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