After 20 years in corporate law and with a prior background in engineering and law enforcement, Shi Yuan Yeo, APAC Head of Legal and Compliance at a Japanese conglomerate, is able to view his industry from both a legal and business perspective.

But it was the act of writing that clarified his approach to taking complex legal concepts and situations and breaking them down into simplified insights that anyone can understand, even if they have no familiarity with the inner workings of the law.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Yeo was approached by a friend with an unmissable opportunity – to write a chapter in a new book on how to be successful in life. Nine months later, his chapter on compliance and contract law was part of Power Springboard: How To Excel In Business, Income & Life.

“I’m not just the typical corporate counsel,” he tells The CEO Magazine. “I’m trained in law enforcement, law and engineering, and I’m also equipped with business knowledge. All these elements give me a unique perspective.”

Mastering risk management

Yeo’s chapter offers insight regarding the interplay of legal acumen, leadership and corporate governance.

In the chapter, he presents the essence of his philosophy on business leadership in the legal world. Legal expertise isn’t just about managing risks – it’s also about balancing them and, where possible, achieving win–win outcomes for all parties.

Mastering risk management is not just the role of the top leadership; it’s the responsibility of every member of the organization.

“As a leader, it’s not about me, it’s about the team,” Yeo explains. “To me, teamwork is very important and probably the most critical thing when we talk about leadership.”

For Yeo, writing the chapter reminded him to look up from the detail of daily legal work and try to understand the wider trends as they emerge. The writing process has reinforced his belief that legal expertise needs to be communicated in a way that non-experts find accessible, strategic and actionable.

Too often, such insights are seen as overly technical or restrictive – a well-crafted legal strategy needs to aid everyone’s overall understanding of the business situation rather than muddy the waters further. Yeo explains that it took some time and work to revise the chapter.

“The initial phase was tough because I just wrote it like a lawyer, and I realized that it was too complicated,” he admits. “I had to revise many times before it was simple enough so that any person who picked up the book could read it.”

Changing minds, changing methods

Currently based in Singapore, Yeo is leading multiple legal and compliance functions in a Japanese conglomerate. He leads a large, diverse and highly competent team and is always finding new ways to inspire them through his personal example.

“I have encountered many failures in life, but I learned from each failure and just got up and kept going,” he says.

As the legal profession undergoes rapid change via technological advancement, this attitude will become even more important, Yeo believes. The advent of AI and advanced automation solutions means that machines can now analyze vast tracts of legal documents with ever-increasing accuracy.

Soon, technical knowledge of the law won’t be enough to justify one’s position; it will be far more important to interpret, strategize and clarify what that legal statute means in a business context. Soft skills and communication capabilities will assume an even greater role as technology takes the grunt work out of the legal profession.

Integrity above all

Despite all this change, Yeo believes that the need for integrity remains the same in modern business and legal work. Building and maintaining a reputation for integrity can, he says, carry greater weight with clients and colleagues than polishing a firm’s win–loss ratio in a manner that’s out of step with changing societal norms and values.

“I think the calling and the work of a lawyer comes with higher stakes than some other industries. Your behavior, your integrity, matters a lot,” he says.

“People look up to you, but no-one is perfect. I was a normal, average student who eventually became a lawyer and went on to study graduate programs at Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School. So we should recognize the opportunities that will be given to us when we keep on trying without giving up.

“Let’s keep going, growing and learning.”