FNI legal team wins at 2026 ALB Southeast Asia Law Awards

Global Ferronickel Holdings, Inc. (FNI) announced that its Legal and Regulatory Affairs Group has been recognized at the 2026 Asian Legal Business (ALB) Southeast Asia Law Awards held at Shangri-La Singapore.

FNI’s legal team was named “In-House Team of the Year for Construction and Real Estate” and was also shortlisted as a finalist for “Energy and Resources In-House Team of the Year”, recognizing its work in supporting the company’s governance, regulatory, land, infrastructure, environmental, and resource-development activities.

The recognition came during the 22nd Annual ALB Southeast Asia Law Awards, which drew a record 1,343 submissions from 189 law firms and 115 in-house legal teams across the region.

The company also congratulated its Chief Legal Counsel, Atty. Noel B. Lazaro, who was named a finalist for “In-House Lawyer of the Year”, and Atty. Leo Ernesto Thomas G. Romero, who was shortlisted in the “Young Lawyer of the Year—In-House” category.

The latest achievement follows FNI’s previous recognition as In-House Team of the Year for Construction and Real Estate at the 2025 ALB Southeast Asia Law Awards.

Earlier, Lazaro participated as a speaker at the ALB Southeast Asia In-House Legal Summit 2026 held at the Hilton Singapore Orchard. During the event, he joined a panel discussion titled “Geopolitics, Supply Chains and Sanctions: Building the Next-Generation Compliance Playbook.”

The discussion focused on how sanctions and trade compliance risks have evolved beyond traditional embargoes and now extend to financing, logistics, counterparties, payment channels, and end users.

Lazaro said legal and compliance teams must adapt to increasingly complex business environments, particularly as companies navigate changing geopolitical and regulatory conditions.

In his acceptance remarks, Lazaro said the recognition affirms the importance of legal work in supporting responsible resource development during a period of energy transition.

“This recognition affirms the importance of legal work in supporting responsible resource development, especially in an age of energy transition,” he said.

He added that the award reflects not only the efforts of FNI’s legal team but also the broader organization, whose work supports permits, contracts, environmental commitments, disclosures, shipments, and community obligations.

FNI is the holding company of Platinum Group Metals Corporation (PGMC), the Philippines’ second-largest nickel ore producer with operations in Surigao del Norte and Palawan. The company is also pursuing investments in value-added nickel processing, cement manufacturing, and port and logistics operations.

As mining companies navigate increasingly complex regulatory and sustainability requirements, how will legal and compliance functions continue to shape the sector’s long-term growth and development?

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