Jaclyn Jhin, the winner of the 2009 ALB Hong Kong In-House Lawyer of the Year award, has recently been promoted to Morgan Stanley's chief operating officer and chief risk officer of global capital markets (GCM) Asia. She previously served as the investment bank's executive director of the legal and compliance department in Asia.

Jhin stated that growing sophistication of the legal environment and maturing markets in Asia are the main reasons why she was appointed to the newly created, combined position. Prior to the creation of the Asia CRO role, Jhin, as an in-house counsel covering the GCM department in Asia (ex-Japan), was effectively doing the job and working closely with the CRO of the bank's GCM based in New York. "As a result of the firm's recognition of the tremendous growth in Asia, the need to have a dedicated CRO and COO in place has never been greater," said Jhin.

With her five years of in-house experience covering GCM in the region, Jhin is doubtless equipped with the right skill set for her new role. The appointment is also the bank's recognition of her strong performance.

"My in-house legal experience is extremely helpful to the CRO role. The organisational skills and team work mentality I developed from my previous position are also relevant in my current role as the COO," said Jhin. "But as the COO, I have to think of what's good for the group and think in more macro terms, as well as hold a more forward-thinking and long-term view of the department and its goals."

Since joining Morgan Stanley's legal and compliance department in Asia five years ago, Jhin has worked on hundreds of transactions for the GCM department, including: the bank's first dual listing on ASX and SGX by an Australian issuer － SP Ausnet; the bank's first Singapore Listed Infrastructure Business Trust － that of City Spring; the bank's first Reg S secondary listing in Hong Kong of an Australian issuer － Sinogold; the high-profile Hong Kong IPO of Alibaba; the largest rights issue in Singapore － the DBS rights issue; and the US$1bn 10-year senior notes issuance of Hong Kong and China Gas Company.

Her success as an in-house lawyer was recognised by the Hong Kong profession when she was awarded the "Hong Kong In-House Lawyer of the Year" at the 2009 ALB Hong Kong Law Awards.

Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, she had practised at Milbank Tweed in Hong Kong for four years. She holds a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and is admitted in New York.

For more details about Jaclyn Jhin's career progression, success stories, and tips for in-house counsel and external counsel, see the Winner's Profile to be published in the upcoming ALB and ALB China magazines.