Jollibee Group Legal Team Named Among the Best in the Philippines and Asia

World-Class Legal Team. Four senior lawyers of the Jollibee Group were cited in The Legal 500 General Counsel Powerlist in the Philippines for 2023. The Legal Team was also cited by Asian Legal Business as among the Top 15 Best Legal Teams in Asia, the only Filipino team to be included. They were also named as one of the finalists for the  In-House Team of the Year category for the 2023 Euromoney Women in Business Law Awards for Asia Pacific. 

MANILA, Philippines. – Jollibee Group once again proved its world-class status, as its Global Legal & Ethics team recently received multiple recognitions from international legal research and publishing companies.

Four senior lawyers of the Jollibee Group’s Global Legal & Ethics team in Manila were individually honored by international legal industry publication, The Legal 500, as among the best in-house counsels in the Philippines. 

Atty. Valerie Amante, Global General Counsel, Ethics Head and Compliance Officer; Atty. Angie Chong, General Counsel-Philippines; Atty. Shean Molera, Associate General Counsel, IP, Digital & Privacy, and Legal Business Partner Global Legal & Philippines; and Atty. Vem King, Associate General Counsel, EMEAA, Franchising, and Legal Business Partner Global, were all cited in the Legal 500 General Counsel (GC) Powerlist Philippines 2023. 

As the Global General Counsel, Amante leads the multinational legal team of JFC, with legal offices in the Philippines, USA, China, Vietnam, Singapore, and Ireland. She also designs and oversees the implementation of the Company’s global ethics program. Amante was also cited this year by the Asian Legal Business as In-House Lawyer of the Year in Southeast Asia.

Chong is responsible for all the legal requirements of JFC’s Philippines business. She recently led the legal work for key projects such as land divestment, the multi-brand concept, and the restructuring of the Philippines supply chain. 

As lead lawyer of the IP, Digital and Privacy Center of Excellence, Molera manages the Jollibee Group’s trademark portfolio globally, and sets global legal standards for all IP, digital and privacy matters. She is a Certified Data Protection Officer (PH National Privacy Commission), Certified Information Privacy Professional for Europe (International Association of Privacy Professionals) and is also certified in Advanced Intellectual Property Management (World Intellectual Property Organization). 

King is the lead lawyer of the Franchising Center of Excellence and as such, she provides legal oversight over the franchising activities of the JFC brands globally. King is also the EMEAA region counsel responsible for leading all legal work for business expansion through franchising and foreign investment in the EMEAA region. King also recently completed the Certified Franchise Executive Program of the International Franchise Association.

Jollibee Group Legal Team was also selected by Asian Legal Business (ALB) as one of the 15 best legal teams in Asia. Over 50 teams across Asia were shortlisted, but the Jollibee Group Global Legal & Ethics team was the only Filipino team who made it to the Top 15. 

ALB recognizes the achievements of in-house teams across Asia that exemplify the future of legal department. According to the organization, the top 15 legal teams have shown willingness to embrace change through technology, behavior, business model, and service innovation, among others. 

The Legal Team was also named as one of only three finalists for the In-House Team of the Year category for the 2023 Euromoney Women in Business Law Awards for Asia Pacific. 

This Award celebrates individuals and teams that have shown outstanding achievements in supporting the development of women in the legal profession.

“Thank you to JFC for the continued support to our individual and team development, and for providing an environment that enables us, in-house lawyers, to contribute significantly to the company’s mission and growth,” Amante said. “All these recognitions validate not only our individual capabilities as lawyers, but also Jollibee Group’s stature as a world-class organization and employer,” added Amante. 

 

Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC, also known as Jollibee Group) is one of the fastest-growing restaurant companies in the world. Its mission is to serve great-tasting food and bring the joy of eating to everyone through its 18 brands with over 6,600 stores across 34 countries including the Philippines, United States, Canada, the People's Republic of China, United Kingdom, Vietnam, United Arab Emirates, and Australia. 

The Jollibee Group has eight wholly owned brands (Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan, Smashburger); four franchised brands (Burger King, Panda Express, and Yoshinoya in the Philippines, and Tim Ho Wan in certain territories in China); 80% ownership of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf; 60% ownership in the SuperFoods Group that owns Highlands Coffee; and 51% ownership of Milksha, a popular Taiwanese bubble tea brand. JFC also has a business venture with award-winning Chef Rick Bayless for Tortazo, a Mexican fast-casual restaurant business in the United States.

The Jollibee Group, through its subsidiary Jollibee Worldwide Pte. Ltd. (JWPL) owns 90% participating interest in Titan Dining LP, a private equity fund that owns the Tim Ho Wan brand. The Jollibee Group has a joint venture with the THW Group to open and operate THW restaurants in Mainland China. Recently, the Jollibee Group has signed an agreement to establish a joint venture company that will own and operate Tiong Bahru Bakery and Common Man Coffee Roasters in the Philippines. 

The Jollibee Group has launched its global sustainability agenda dubbed Joy for Tomorrow, which aims to strengthen the company’s commitment to sustainable business practices. The agenda centers on the key pillars of Food, People, and Planet, and consists of 10 focus areas namely: food safety, food quality, nutrition & transparency, employee welfare, farmers livelihood, community support, good governance, packaging & recycling, waste reduction, and energy & water efficiency. Each focus area sets goals and initiatives that contribute and align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

The Jollibee Group was named the Philippines' most admired company by the Asian Wall Street Journal for ten years. It was also honored as one of Asia's Fab 50 Companies and among the World's Best Employers and World’s Top Female-Friendly Companies by Forbes. The company is also a two-time recipient of Gallup’s Exceptional Workplace Award, making it the only Philippine-based company to receive the distinction. 

To learn more about Jollibee Group, visit www.jollibeegroup.com