CEO Insights Magazine

As one of the leading travel and lifestyle brands across the world, Karma Group, over the years, has been offering worldclass experiences with a wide range of curated entertainment options. The company currently providing luxurious travel experiences to its members across 42 properties around the world. An accomplished legal professional with extensive experience of around a decade working on a broad range of legal issues, Ruth Liew is currently the Vice President Legal at the Karma Group. A thorough team player and diligent learner, she dedicates her success to her mentor and the Chief Operations Officer of the company, Vic Faulkner. In an exclusive interview with CEO Insights ASIA, Ruth sheds light on her overall professional career, her leadership approach, and much more.

Could you give a brief account of your professional background and experiences? What are the kinds of impacts you've been making at Karma Group in your current role?

I worked primarily as a construction dispute lawyer in an international law firm for approximately seven years prior to going in-house and joining the Karma Group. Karma Group is an internationally renowned hotel and resort firm that offers hotel experiences with world-class amenities to its members. We currently have around 42 properties across the globe. More than hospitality, we sell unique experiences to our members. We are also involved in various charity work across Asia, India and Europe.

Shed some light on your current responsibilities at Karma Group.

As part of my current responsibilities at the Karma Group, apart from risk assessment, we are also constantly looking for new opportunities for expansion. It could be a piece of land where we would develop the property or it could be an existing property where we would renovate them up to the Karma standards. My role includes providing legal counsel to the company and its senior management including  entering into negotiation with different parties for certain projects, mitigation of risk in contract negotiations, acquiring the relevant licenses for project development, managing litigation, overseeing the company’s regulatory compliance globally, IP, tax matters, and more.

Tell us about your leadership approach. What are the guidelines or methodologies you follow as a leader?

I believe in the open-door policy. Effective communication is crucial in a global, diverse team who are from different cultural backgrounds, time zones and languages. We set clear vision for the team to ensure everyone understands and is aligned with these goals. We have a strong team of legal counsels and I trust them to carry out their roles and ensure that I am reachable at any time. Further, I emphasize the importance to seek information/advice when faced with uncertainty. I am fortunate to be able to work closely with our Group COO, Vic Faulkner, who has provided many valuable insights when faced with difficult decisions and has been an inspiration and true mentor to me.

As a successful leader in the legal domain, what are some of the major challenges you encounter in your current role? How do you mitigate them?

I have had the privilege of working in different countries throughout the years. Accordingly, it has taught me to see the challenges as learning experiences and be more flexible in terms of dealing with problems across different jurisdictions. While some issues may take longer than the others to resolve, our aim is to resolve matters amicably and treating litigation as the last resort. Very often, it is essential to understand the root of the problem, speaking to the right people, and try to find a solution.

Ruth Liew, Vice President Legal, Karma Group

An accomplished legal professional with extensive experience of around a decade working in a broad range of legal issues, Ruth Lew currently works as the Vice President Legal at the leading hotel and resort company, Karma Group. A nominee of the In-house Rising Star Awards for the whole Southeast Asia region by Legal 500, her inspirational leadership and work ethic have won her numerous recognitions throughout her career. A travel enthusiast, Ruth has traveled to more than 100 countries across the world.

QUICK FACTS:

• Hobbies: Playing Piano, Polo, Tennis, Golf

• Favorite Cuisine: Italian, Japanese

• Favorite Book: The Mission, the Men, and Me by Pete Blaber           

• Awards & Recognition: Legal 500 General Counsel: Powerlist – year 2022 and 2023

• Nominated for In House Rising Star Awards 2023

• Chosen Women of Karma-2023