Yuwadee Thean-Ngarm

Partner and director, Tilleke & Gibbins

Yuwadee Thean-ngarm is the director of Tilleke & Gibbins’ office in Myanmar, having moved to oversee the firm’s Yangon office in 2013 after a decade as an attorney-at-law and litigator in the firm’s Bangkok office. She is recognized as a leading lawyer in Myanmar by IFLR 1000 and Asialaw Leading Lawyers, and in 2019 was named one of the brightest young lawyers in Asia in Asian Legal Business’ annual “Top 40 Under 40” list.

She advises clients on the full range of intellectual property and corporate and commercial matters under the fast-developing legal framework in Myanmar. With her deep understanding of the needs of international business in Myanmar, along with her broad practical experience overseeing legal work across virtually all practice areas, she assists her clients in developing strategies for corporate success in Myanmar.

In her corporate and commercial work, Yuwadee is especially active in advising foreign investors seeking to do business in Myanmar. She oversees a wide variety of matters, including business strategy and planning, company structuring and formation, law and legal updates, labor and employment, and tax. Yuwadee has extensive expertise in advising clients across diverse industries, such as banking and finance, chemicals, energy, logistics, manufacturing, service and trading, and telecommunications. On the intellectual property side, Yuwadee guides global and regional businesses in protecting their assets under the country’s new and still-developing regulatory framework for trademarks, patents, industrial designs, and copyright.

Yuwadee is also well known for promoting cross-border business in her role as secretary general of the Thai Business Association of Myanmar. She is a formidable thought leadership contributor, providing legal expertise to World Bank research projects on investment, employment, and property in Myanmar, and is a frequent speaker in regional seminars and events on various corporate and commercial and intellectual property topics.

Besides her experience in Myanmar, Yuwadee is a member of the Thai Bar Association and the Lawyers Council of Thailand, with significant experience appearing before Thailand’s trademark registrar, Board of Trademarks, and Intellectual Property and International Trade Court (IP&IT Court).