philip koh

senior partner, Mah-Kamariyah & Philip Koh

Philip Koh Tong Ngee, Advocate & Solicitor High Court Malaya philip.koh@mkp.com.my Philip T. N. Koh, aged 52 graduated with a (LL.B) (Hons.) (1978) Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Malaya. He holds a (LL.M) (1980) Master of Laws degree from the University of London and Masters of Arts (M.A) Theology) (2004) from the Australian Catholic University. Philip Koh commenced his legal career in 1980 as a Lecturer in law at the Faculty of Law, University of Malaya. In 1985, Philip Koh took up active legal practice. He became a partner of a large Kuala Lumpur based firm in 1990. He is currently Senior Partner of Messrs Mah – Kamariyah & Philip Koh, a mid size law firm with city practice having strengths in corporate governance advisory, corporate securities law, mergers and acquisitions, cross border investments, corporate finance and banking. The firm also provides a full complement of litigation services and arbitration mediation work. In 1995 he served as Executive Director and Group Legal Director of Phileo Allied Bhd a pubic listed company involved in inter – alia, banking and capital markets. During his years in the corporate sector he served in the EXCO of the Federation of Public Listed Companies and also it’s Chairperson of the Technical and Regulatory Committee. He was an Adviser to the Malaysian Institute for Corporate Governance (MICG). He also served as member of Law Reform Committee (JPK Working Group II) and Corporate Governance in Malaysia, Finance Committee on Corporate Governance 1999. In late 1998 early 1999 rejoined legal practice. He is currently a member of the Corporate Law Reform Committee, a Committee appointed by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs that is working on a major law reform initiative on the Malaysian Corporate Laws. He was also a visiting Fulbright Scholar attached to Professor Oliver Hart of Harvard University, Economics Department in 1999. He served as Adjunct Professor Deakins University, Australia and is currently an Adjunct Faculty Staff of the Handong International Law School at Pohang, Korea. He is one of the first invited international Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators. He served as Non Executive Director of the Asia Assurance Bhd (A general Insurance Company which is subsidiary of the Asia Assurance group in Singapore). He served as member of Ethics Committee which looked into the IFAC Code of Ethics for the Malaysian Institute of Accountants. He was a member of Advisory Board of Ethical Fund of Mayban. He is also life member of Persatuan Ekonomi Malayasia. He served a member of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange Audit Sub Committee (2002 – 2004). He was a member of Ethical Advisory Panel for Mayban Ethical Fund. He also currently serves a s board member of the Badan Pengawas Saham Minoriti Berhad (Minority Shareholder Watchdog Group). Nominated Vice Chairman of IPBA ( Inter-Pacific Bar Association) for Committee for Investment Law Publications He publishes regularly in learned journals and financial news media. He has provided Country reports (as collaborator) to World Bank and OECD on corporate governance and Insolvency law reform. He collaborated on an ADBI (Asian Development Bank Institute) project on Banking and Corporate Governance Report on Malaysia published by ADBI and also IBBM Bankers’ journal. He was co – author of “The Law of Contract in Malaysia and Singapore – Cases and Commentary” (Oxford) (1979), Legal and Accounting Implications of S 67 A of the Companies Act: Scope and Strategic Operation of Share Buy Back (MAICSA)and Chan & Koh’s Company Law 1st & 2nd edition (Sweet & Maxwell) (1000 page legal treatise on law of corporation). He contributed and article “Independent Directors: Roles & Expectations – Watchdogs or Advisers” to Securities Commission publication on Independent Director: Perceptions, Roles and Responsibilities. A paper on Corporate Governance in Malaysia: Reforms in Light of Post – 1998 Crisis in Reforming Corporate Governance in South East Asia: Economics Politics and regulations ed. Ho Khai Leong INSEAS (Institute of South East Asian Studies) (Singapore) Publication (2005). He is Co-editor to Sheridan & Groves Constitution of Malaya (5th Edition) (2005) (MLJ Lexis Nexis) (A leading commentary on the Malaysia Federal Constituion). Presented and Published Paper John Rawls & Jurgen Habermas: Implications for Asian Constitutionalism at Seoul National University (2005) at 1st Asian Forum for Constitutionalism. He is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Bankers Journal Malaysia, a publication of the Institute of Bank Malaysia. He is a well known and sought after speaker at conferences on all aspects of corporate governance both in Malaysia and abroad. He was the sole lawyer named (by his peers) in International Who’s Who’s in Corporate Governance for Malaysia 2004/2005/2006/2007. He is an invited member of a Global Corporate Governance Forum Private Sector Advisory Group, International Finance Corporation, a World Bank Initiative. He is Chairman of World Vision Malaysia Board, a Malaysian chapter of an international humanitarian relief organization.