CLARS and Monash Business School Malaysia hosts the 2026 ACLF Conference
Recent weeks have seen CLARS extend its engagement with corporate law scholars across the region through a visit to Monash University Malaysia, near Kuala Lumpur. The visit marked the first time CLARS representatives have travelled to the campus, where the Centre now has a CLARS Malaysia Hub.
CLARS colleagues including Director Professor Jennifer Hill, Associate Professor Steve Kourabas and Dr Tamara Wilkinson visited the Malaysia campus as part of Monash Law and Monash Business School’s role as hosts of the 2026 Asian Corporate Law Forum (ACLF) Conference. The conference brought together leading corporate law scholars from ten of Asia’s most prominent universities, which make up the founding members of the ACLF.
Representing Monash Business School were Associate Professor Vivien Chen, Co-Director of the Asian Corporate Law Forum, and Senior Deputy Dean Professor Michelle Welsh, with particular thanks due to Professor Chen and Dr Chithra Latha, School of Business, Monash University Malaysia, for their exceptional work in organising the conference.
L-R: (Top) Professor Michelle Welsh and Associate Professor Vivien Chen, Monash Business School, Professor Jennifer Hill, (Below) Associate Professor Steve Kourabas, and Dr Tamara Wilkinson, Monash University Faculty of Law and Dr Chithra Latha School of Business, Monash University Malaysia.
The visit also provided a welcome opportunity to meet Dr Ridoan Karim from the CLARS Malaysia Hub and the School of Business at Monash University Malaysia, strengthening connections across the Monash network.
The conference opened with a public seminar entitled Beyond the Bottom Line: Business as a Force for Good. The seminar featured Philip Koh (Senior Partner, Mah‑Kamariyah, and Advisor to the School of Business, Monash University Malaysia) and Datin Wira Goh Suet Law (President, Women of Will (WOW) Malaysia), who spoke on transformative collaborations empowering women and underprivileged families. Together, they explored how businesses can play a constructive role in responding to global challenges, and how commercial activity can be aligned with broader social purpose.
L-R: Professor Jennifer Hill and Dr Tamara Wilkinson (centre).
Across the conference program, participants engaged in thoughtful discussion of many of the most significant corporate law and governance issues facing the Indo‑Pacific region. Topics included takeovers, private equity, insolvency, the role of specialist directors, and the changing dynamics of corporate governance in an era shaped by populism and nationalism. Each paper selected for presentation received detailed feedback from established experts in a collegial setting designed to enhance scholarly impact.
As the photographs from the event reflect, the conference was not only an opportunity for rigorous academic exchange, but also one characterised by strong collegiality and shared commitment to advancing corporate law scholarship across the region.
