PETALING JAYA: Malaysian lawyer Joanne Vengadesan has been elected to chair Multilaw, an international network of law firms operating in more than 100 countries.
Vengadesan, who has practised in the UK for 25 years, was elected chair-elect at the network's global conference in Prague earlier this month.
She will begin her two-year term in September 2027, succeeding Australian lawyer Paul Kirton.
Multilaw connects independent law firms across some 300 offices worldwide, helping them handle legal matters involving different countries. Its Malaysian member is Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill.
Vengadesan began her career as an intellectual property lawyer in Kuala Lumpur after being called to the Malaysian Bar in 1997. She later moved to the UK, where she has built her career.
She is now a partner at London-based law firm Penningtons Manches Cooper, where she heads its technology sector group, specialising in artificial intelligence, technology and data.
Despite living in the UK, she has maintained close ties with Malaysia, including giving talks on AI and digital technology at Malaysian Bar events. She also sits on Multilaw's board alongside Malaysian lawyer Andrew Chiew.
Vengadesan is the daughter of former Malaysian ambassador R Vengadesan, who served in several countries, including Italy and Namibia. She spent part of her childhood in Belgium and Thailand before studying in the UK.
“I love the perspective that being a Malaysian and working in the UK gives me. Malaysia is so multicultural that we grow up being so comfortable and at home with all our various communities and cultures,” she said, adding that her international upbringing had shaped her interest in working with lawyers from around the world.
In a statement, Penningtons Manches Cooper CEO Helen Drayton welcomed her appointment, saying it reflected her talent, dedication and close working relationships with colleagues across the firm and the Multilaw network.
Chiew, a partner at Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill, said he was pleased that the network's leadership would be in good hands when Vengadesan takes over next year, “and with a fellow Malaysian no less”.