This conversation offers a deeper look at the evolution of the General Counsel Wellbeing Network, from its early foundations through to the current work across regions. It explores the thinking behind GCWN’s approach to leadership, performance, and wellbeing, and how the network is supporting senior in-house counsel in navigating increasingly complex and uncertain environments. With thanks to Charlene Gisele for the invitation.

As we prepare for our first APAC workshop in Bangkok, we spoke with Santipap Charasphaew, Head of Legal at Bitazza, to get a local perspective on the evolving in-house landscape in Thailand. Santipap is also a committee member of the Thai Corporate Counsel Association and will be joining us at Agoda on 24 April, alongside a group of senior in-house leaders from across the city. The conversation provides a useful window into the regional context as we begin to establish the GCWN community in Asia.

You need to be able to love, or at least get satisfaction from, the fact that you never know what you might need to help your organisation deal with next. That’s the fun of it…the most challenging aspect is how you can still peer round corners and move forward the things that are important but not urgent, while dealing effectively with the immediate important and urgent items.

The hybrid nature of law in the Middle East is unique. One morning you’re dealing with a civil law concept in Cairo, in the afternoon it’s a DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre) common law dispute in Dubai, and by evening you’re navigating the rapid regulatory evolution of Vision 2030 in Saudi. Culturally, business here is still done over coffee and trust. If you can’t navigate the Majlis (translated as ‘sitting place’ to connect and discuss) as well as you navigate a Master Service Agreement, you’re only doing half the job.

I used to lead the “textbook” way…the polished corporate version of myself who thought every answer had to be airtight and every email had to sound like it was blessed by a panel of retired judges. Life humbled me. Hard. Now I lead with a mix of precision and humanity. I don’t pretend complexity doesn’t exist. I don’t pretend to be invincible. I don’t pretend every deadline is reasonable just because it’s written in a slide deck. My team sees a leader who sets boundaries, names reality, and expects others to operate like adults. The shift is simple: I stopped performing leadership and started practicing it.

In the first episode of GCWN Studio, “On Sustainable Performance and the Changing Culture of Law”, Steven MacGregor sits down with Andrew Masraf, Global Senior Partner at Pinsent Masons, for a candid and wide-ranging discussion on the future of legal leadership. This conversation explores what sustainable performance looks like in modern law—from culture change and the billable hour, through to wellbeing, human connection, vulnerability, and the evolving value of legal expertise in an AI-accelerated profession.

When you go in-house you become part of a multi disciplinary team—all charged with running a business—so your role is not to explain the ‘why not’, it’s coming up with the what, the how, the options, the risk assessment or trade-offs, and then—and this is critical—communicating clearly and concisely. I always keep in mind the brilliant quote, “I would have written a shorter letter, but did not have the time”.

I believe it is so important to build strong and trusting relationships with business colleagues so that we are working together and the legal team is not siloed from the rest of the business. I am so proud when a team member is recognised by the business for their part in problem-solving an issue or getting through a tough project as part of a wider team. Less about business partnering and more about being part of the business!

In a crisis, your demeanour sets the tone. The business does not want to see its GC flustered or reactive. Nor do third parties who you want to instil confidence in (lenders, regulators, M&A counterparties). I learnt this during Thomas Cook’s financial collapse. When the worst happens—and it did—it puts everything into perspective. You survive, and you grow, and staying calm makes everything easier to manage.