“For Avast, having a culturally numerous workforce gives in-house alternatives to know points of a special tradition and the way in which they like to do enterprise.”
In the present day, the Avast Range & Inclusion crew is shining a highlight on Avast Authorized Counsel Siew Lau, an lively D&I champion and ambassador.
Earlier than Siew acquired into legislation, she obtained a level in arts and journalism and labored as each a journalist and inventive author. She has written for newspapers in Brunei, Singapore, and Australia and has additionally had 4 books – together with three novels and a kids’s e book – printed within the UK, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Greece.
“Folks are likely to assume legislation and artwork are on opposing ends, however that isn’t so,” says Siew. “Notably in frequent legislation international locations, there are stereotypes of the hierarchical and hidebound lawyer and the wild, free artist. Nevertheless, one will be logically inventive or creatively logical. It’s not an either-or proposition. It could simply be the way in which one’s thoughts works, and that results in numerous methods of considering.”
She goes on to elucidate, “For instance, to put in writing a novel, you want a construction – it could be an odd construction however there must be underlying logic for the inventive edifice to stability itself, in order that the reader could droop disbelief whereas studying it.”
“On the opposite aspect, to strategy a authorized drawback, you not solely need to know and use the foundations and interpret it precisely by understanding the aim for the rule (logic), however you might also have to use the rule creatively in a given state of affairs with the intention to embody that objective or to come back to a good conclusion, in any other case it may be absurd. Subsequently, in each eventualities, logic and creativity come into play and work collectively.”
We’ll dive a bit deeper into Siew’s profession and her present actions supporting Avast’s Range & Inclusion actions.
Are you able to inform us a bit about your self and your skilled journey? What does range imply to you personally?
I feel I belong to that noble custom of legal professionals who’re inventive writers or inventive writers who’re legal professionals. I labored as a journalist for newspapers in my holidays earlier than coming into and through college, and likewise wrote for magazines, together with writing a humorous column. My first job after graduating was to be a overseas affairs reporter in Brunei Darussalam.
I’ve additionally had quick tales printed within the US, Canada, the UK, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia, together with having them broadcast on the BBC World Service and ABC Radio Nationwide. I’ve been blessed to have obtained nationwide and state awards for my writing, together with being shortlisted for Australia’s high nationwide literary award, the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction within the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards.
In considered one of my first-year legislation lectures, a Queen’s Counsel, who was our lecturer, introduced to us, “Regulation is inventive”. He then confirmed concentric circles of how completely different areas of legislation overlapped to type an entire. Folks had instructed me legislation was boring or an excessive amount of work, however I had at all times thought I want to enter legislation as I like studying, considering and have an innate sense of equity. I discovered legislation so satisfying that I ended up graduating because the Dux of Griffith College Regulation Faculty and receiving many awards in legislation, together with the Dean’s Award and the state-wide Una Prentice Award (named after the primary feminine legislation graduate from a college in Queensland).
I labored within the authorized space for Avast throughout my college holidays and even whereas finding out. Upon graduating, I relocated to Prague to work as a Authorized Counsel at Avast, the place I now cowl a large space with work in business, compliance, and litigation.
I’ve additionally suggested and put processes in place for our authorized compliance within the areas of export management and trendy slavery. I’ve at all times been curious and desirous about various things and maybe that exhibits in my numerous profession. It provides me a broad perspective to work from.
You have been an everyday and an lively attendee of the Bridging Cultural Variations Sequence. Why is cultural range vital to you? What do you assume are the advantages of embracing cultural range within the office?
Cultural range has at all times been vital to me as a result of tradition encompasses an individual’s inside make-up and isn’t just the atmosphere and customs during which one lives.
I feel individuals typically mistake racial range for cultural range. It’s not the identical, and sometimes, cultural range is tougher for individuals as a result of individuals are likely to congregate with those that are culturally just like them, or they really feel extra comfy with these of comparable cultures. For instance, immigrants’ kids (who’re born and develop up in a special tradition) might be culturally just like the prevailing tradition round them and take in its prejudices. Subsequently, whereas an individual’s pores and skin shade could also be completely different, their tradition often is the similar or just like these round them.
Tradition is fascinating as a result of it’s a composite of a lot that may be described because the inside workings of an individual and consists of not solely the exterior nation one resides in, but in addition household background, books learn, travels, persona, mindset, psychology, and so forth. Psychological openness and curiosity go an extended technique to bridging cultures.
I used the teachings that I realized on the Bridging Cultural Distinction Sequence virtually instantly in a authorized matter I suggested on, alerting one other space of the enterprise to the results of sure actions in a relationship-oriented tradition.
Embracing cultural range is essential to a high-functioning world office. There are such a lot of advantages, together with the revenue margin. Think about when you understood the cultures in whose markets you are attempting to interrupt into, as an alternative of pushing them away as being completely different or promoting in a means that doesn’t make sense to them.
For our enterprise, having a culturally numerous workforce gives in-house alternatives to know points of a special tradition and the way in which they like to do enterprise. This additionally applies to being an in-house lawyer in a world firm. Understanding the events globally that you simply take care of, the place somebody is coming from, and the issues that come up, helps in creating belief and discovering options.
For all areas, having a special viewpoint results in higher options and enterprise. Sadly, typically some individuals’s opinions are rejected on the idea of their standing or tradition, race, or intercourse. If the identical opinion was given by somebody thought-about because the norm, it could be listened to and endorsed. Being inclusive of others results in a stronger crew.
What are a few of your key takeaways from the Bridging Cultural Variations Sequence? What stunned you probably the most?
For me, the important thing takeaways from the collection are as follows:
- What we consider as tradition is usually the tip of the iceberg
- How tradition can affect our perceptions and behaviors
- To not stereotype, but in addition to not dismiss cultural variations as a result of we aren’t the identical
What stunned me probably the most was my Intercultural Evaluation Profile. I’ve lived within the Czech Republic for greater than 4 years in complete, finding out legislation for a time period and dealing for Avast, and it seems the nation I used to be assessed as being most culturally just like out of 30 international locations was the Czech Republic. I’m Australian, however I used to be born and grew up in Singapore with Chinese language and Peranakan heritage. Whereas I used to be thought-about nonetheless comparatively culturally just like Singapore and Australia, they have been at a ways away. Both the evaluation is wrong, I used to be born culturally Czech with out realizing it, or I’ve turn out to be culturally attuned to my environment!
I want extra individuals would look at their cultural prejudices and see being culturally adept as one thing greater than consuming the occasional pho, pizza, or potato dumpling. Nevertheless, ultimately I feel courtesy and a form coronary heart go an extended technique to mitigate any cultural bloopers that one makes.
