Asia Pacific Employers Forum 2023

Michael has more than 15 years' experience as an employment law and industrial relations lawyer, acting for clients in a range of industries, including banking and finance, insurance, health and pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, real estate, media and entertainment, information technology and professional services. He has developed and published compliance programs and best practice policies locally and within Asia Pacific. He is the author and a developer of CCH’s Employment Contracts Manager, a software package that builds and tailors smart employment contracts. He has also authored a large number of chapters in every edition of CCH’s Australian Master Human Resources Guide. Articles written by Michael on employment law topics have appeared in the Melbourne University Law Review, CFO Magazine, Human Capital, Lawyers Weekly, Human Resources, and CCH’s Employment Law Bulletin. He has also spoken at events arranged by the College of Law, Macquarie Graduate School of Management, and various professional associations. He wrote and produced “Dismissal Impossible,” a training video on unfair dismissal and sexual harassment, for the Australian Stock Exchange. Michael regularly conducts employment-related litigation before State and Federal courts and industrial tribunals at an original and appellate level.

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Sean has more than 30 years' experience advising small and large corporations, multinational businesses and senior executives in relation to employment and industrial law.

Jonathan Isaacs heads Baker McKenzie's China Employment Practice. Jonathan is listed as a leading lawyer for China employment law in various legal publications and has shared insights on labor and employment issues with many publications and media outlets, including The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, LA Times, Reuters, The Economist Intelligence Unit, Voice of America, RTHK, LA Times and Fortune Magazine. He has also co-authored the leading treatise on Chinese employment law in English, Employment Law & Practice in China. He is admitted as a lawyer in the state of New York, USA.

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Alvira M. Wahjosoedibjo is an Associate Partner in Baker McKenzie, Jakarta office.

Tomohisa Muranushi is a member of the Firm's Corporate/M&A Practice Group in Tokyo and has eighteen years of legal experience working in Japan. He co-authored M&A Handbook on Conducting Business Practically and the Japan chapter on Cross-border Labour and Employee Benefits Handbook. Tomohisa has also worked at the San Francisco and Bangkok offices of Baker McKenzie.

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Trishelea is a partner in the Employment Practice Group of Wong & Partners and her practice focuses on employment and industrial relations.

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Kenneth Chuah is a principal in the Finance & Projects Practice Group of Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow in Singapore. Kenneth has more than 10 years of experience acting for banks, borrowers and sponsors in a wide range of cross-border finance transactions across Asia Pacific. Kenneth sits on the Firm's Global Trade Finance Steering Committee. He is recognised as a rising star in Banking & Finance: Singapore by IFLR1000 2019 and recognized in Legal 500 2019 and Legal 500 2020, the latter highlighting that he has "vast knowledge in receivables financing".

Eliseo Zuñiga, Jr. is the head of Quisumbing Torres' Dispute Resolution Practice Group and a member of the Employment Practice Group. He is also a member of the Industrial, Manufacturing & Telecommunications and the Healthcare & Life Sciences Industry Groups. He has over 20 years of experience advising clients on general employment issues, employee termination, executive compensation, benefits transfers and terminations, and general litigation. He actively participates as a speaker and presenter in various regional and local seminars and conferences on labor and employment-related issues. He served as a Chairperson of the People Management Association of the Philippines’ Labor Policy Reforms and Industrial Relations Committee and is currently the Co-Chairperson of the European Chamber of Commerce Human Capital Committee. He has been consistently cited as a Leading Individual for Employment by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2019-2023), Band 3 for Labor and Employment by the Chambers Asia Pacific (2018-2023), Litigation Star for Labor and Employment by Benchmark Litigation (2019 to 2023) and Notable Practitioner for Labor and Employment by asialaw Leading Lawyers (2020 to 2022). Eliseo is also recognized as a thought leader in the 2021 Q3 Lexology Legal Influencers for the Future of legal services - Asia-Pacific.

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Celeste is a Principal in our Dispute Resolution and Employment Practice Groups. Her practice encompasses corporate and commercial dispute resolution, compliance and investigations. She has significant experience acting for global clients in cross-border disputes and advising clients on compliance and regulatory issues in the context of cross-border investigations. Celeste also has a particular focus in employment, particularly contentious employment work and employee investigations, and currently heads Baker McKenzie's Asia Pacific Employment & Compensation Practice. Celeste has been recognised as a 'Litigation Star' in the Labor and Employment space by Benchmark Litigation Asia Pacific, 2021 and has been ranked Band 1 in Employment in Singapore by Chambers Asia-Pacific since 2019 to date. She is recognised as "highly regarded in Singapore for her employment law advice, handling unfair dismissal claims and retrenchments"; a "source praises her 'very responsive and practical advice'" and that "Celeste is a brilliant lawyer and is able to provide effective advice to clients in a timely manner." Celeste is also ranked as a Leading Individual in Labour and employment in Singapore by Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2022 and noted as "a litigator with a strong record in employment disputes" and in the foreign firms section as "a dispute resolution specialist with an extensive record in contentious employment matters".

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Ng Zhao Yang is a local principal in the Employment Practice Group of Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow in Singapore. He has over 10 years of experience advising regional and multinational clients on employment law and immigration matters in Singapore. He has been recognised as an “Up and Coming” individual by Chambers & Partners Asia-Pacific 2023 in the Singapore Employment: Domestic category. Clients who spoke to Chambers described him as "an outstanding resource" and "Highly recommend(ed)." He is also recognised as a “Next Generation Partner” by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2023 in the Singapore Labour and employment: Local firms category.

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Pradeep Nair is a Senior Associate in Baker McKenzie Singapore office.

Howard Shiu is a partner and member of the Employment Practice Group in Baker McKenzie, Taipei. He focuses on trust law and dispute resolution. He was recognized as a Notable Practitioner by Chambers Asia Pacific 2016.

Nam-Ake Lekfuangfu is a partner of the Employment & Compensation Practice Group in Bangkok. He is experienced not only in employment laws but also, corporate and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, environment and trade regulations. Over the past year, Nam-Ake was lead lawyer for a wide range of employment matters involving high profile clients. With his extensive legal knowledge, combined with insights on industrial knowledge and practices and Supreme Court rulings, Nam-Ake assists clients on employment and immigration works, ranging from day-to-day advice to complex matters, such as advising on employment trends impacting employers globally, including global mobility, the use of modern workforce and gender pay gap.

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Theeranit joined Baker & McKenzie in 2013 and is now one of the key partners in the Corporate and M&A and Employment & Compensation Practice Groups in Bangkok. Theeranit has been involved in servicing a wide range of clients across industry sectors, recently focusing on the Healthcare & Life Sciences, Consumer Goods & Retail and Industrial Manufacturing and Transportation industry groups. He has been handling a number of high profile clients across a wide spectrum of corporate and commercial, with a particular focus on employment, immigration, work safety as well as merger and acquisition and post-acquisition integration advice. He has steadily earned trust and recognitions from a number of Baker & McKenzie key clients on his expertise in the Thai employment laws and regulations in particular, and for his proactive and responsive approach in handling clients' matters.

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Thuy Hang Nguyen is a partner in Baker McKenzie's Ho Chi Minh office and the head of the Employment and Labor practice in Vietnam. She joined the Firm in 2006 and has been involved in a wide range of practice areas in various investment projects. She has extensive experience in employment and labor law, and has advised on corporate and regulatory compliance issues in Vietnam, including mergers and acquisitions, foreign investment licensing, corporate and commercial matters. Ms. Nguyen is a leading authority and frequent speaker on employment and labor law in Vietnam and the Asia Pacific region.

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