When Yibing Mao heard that Marriott International were looking for a senior in-house lawyer to be based in Hong Kong with regional responsibilities, it seemed almost too much of a coincidence.
Up to that point, she had been in private practice as a corporate finance lawyer working mainly for investment banks. But she was keen for a change and, aware of the hotel group’s reputation as a “best employer” since her early days in Washington DC, she had often thought in passing it would be a great place to work.
“A friend called me after seeing the ad and said ‘guess what’,” says Mao, now Marriott’s chief legal counsel for Asia. “I sent in my application and a few months passed. Then all of a sudden I was invited to interview and started in Hong Kong in mid-1996, just as the group was beginning to develop hotels in mainland China.”
At the time, her team consisted of two lawyers and three support staff. There are now 25 lawyers dotted around the region and an equivalent number to back them up. Back then, the group had nine Asia-Pacific hotels. Currently, there are more than 550 operating under various brand names, with more opening every year and some realignment of plans since the acquisition of Starwood.
For Mao, the lead-up to closing that transaction meant looking after merger-related approvals required by law under different country jurisdictions. It involved a lot of time with the head office team and outside counsel to avoid any breach of local regulations which potentially could delay or even derail the whole deal.
“Some countries like India, Vietnam and Australia are more relaxed about approvals, just requiring a registration,” she says. “But others like China want to review everything to make sure the deal is not anti-competitive and that consumers still have enough choice. That took about nine months and, of course, there are then all the challenges of post-merger integration, which will take two to three years.”
Key steps include reviewing customer loyalty programmes and partner agreements, personnel aspects, and advising on tax, compliance, technology and accounting needs as one consolidated business.
“The substantive work can be done in Hong Kong, but for team-related things, I travel to our other offices to understand new challenges such as data privacy laws and safeguarding information. Social media is also a game changer for our industry. It shapes customer opinions, and a company’s reputation can be built up or damaged with just one post, something we didn’t have to worry about just a few years ago.”
Originally from Beijing, Mao’s early years involved regular moves around the country linked to her father’s job as an administrator with China’s air force. She attended local schools near each base, and the other service kids became a natural social group.
“Everywhere I went I learned the local dialect and, overall, the moving around wasn’t too bad. You learn from your mistakes and, every couple of years, you have a chance to reinvent yourself.”
Admitted by Jilin University, she completed a four-year degree in law and moved on to Peking University for a two-year master’s in international law. Then, itching for overseas experience but hesitant about accepting a government-sponsored place with various strings attached, she applied instead for a full scholarship at Duke University in North Carolina.
On offer was a three-year JD (juris doctor) programme, with the possibility of practising law in the US after graduation, where other schools had only suggested a one-year LLM. And while Berkeley or Columbia had their big-city attractions, Mao felt it would be easier to concentrate if “hidden away” in a quieter part of the country.
“Even so, it was an overwhelming experience,” she says. “I had never seen credit cards or cheques and I’d had to borrow the 10,000 yuan for an airplane ticket at a time when a decent job in China paid 30 yuan a month. It was difficult, but exciting, and really I was too young to have any fears.”
She didn’t find it too hard to grasp the technical aspects of US law, anything related to tort, contracts or the principle of ownership. What initially caused problems, though, was the everyday language not found in textbooks and those areas of the law – separation of powers, abortion rights, and freedom of speech – closely tied to US history and culture.
“At first, I didn’t understand why some things were so hotly debated,” she says. “I found those aspects more difficult to learn.”
Summer internships led to a full-time role with McGuireWoods, a firm with offices in Richmond, Virginia and Washington DC. After cutting her teeth there on general corporate and commercial work, she came back to China to be closer to her parents, but a subsequent business trip via Hong Kong sparked an overall change of plan.
“I fell in love with the city and explored opportunities to practise here. Fortunately, in 1993, the first bunch of Chinese companies was going public, so I joined Slaughter & May and worked on IPOs.”
However, unwilling to be pigeonholed as someone who only did China business, she switched to Milbank Tweed’s regional practice, doing project finance for roads, telecoms, and infrastructure in India. In the process, she acquired more technical legal skills plus greater assurance on the client management side, which paved the way for the move to Marriott.
When off duty, Mao practises tai chi to induce calm, focus on her inner movement, and forget the pressures of work. Twice a year, she also heads to destinations like Nepal, Bhutan and the Swiss Alps.
“I’m a mountain climber and have been up to 6,000 metres,” she says. “I like the technical climbing at altitude and do glacier walks and rock climbing up ice walls. You need to be sure-footed for that.”
KEEPING POSTED
Yibing Mao’s lawyerly advice
Be bold “Don’t be afraid to take risks when young by going into areas you’re not trained for. Moving around in an organisation to understand how the business works makes people much better lawyers in the long run.”
Follow “For women lawyers, it definitely helps to have a mentor you can really open up to. Ideally, it should be someone who has ‘been there’ and can give a different perspective.”
Pace yourself “Recognise that your career is a journey and there are different phases in your life. I stepped back when my kids were younger; it’s OK to do that.”
Chip in “You also have to step up when needed. When I was on maternity leave, the boss called about some urgent negotiations. I was happy to help for a while.”
Contribute “Lawyers are trained to think logically and be conservative. But in a business setting, the client may just want you to chime in and say something, so be ready to speak up.”
This article appeared in the Classified Post print edition as Sure-footed move.
