WINNING | FNI legal team boosts leadership role in mining

Insider Spotlight

• FNI’s legal department expands its role beyond compliance
• Young Lawyer of the Year award highlights in-house excellence
• Recognition underscores governance strength in mining operations
  
  

Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc. (FNI) is leveraging its growing in-house legal expertise to strengthen governance and strategic decision-making across its mining and infrastructure businesses, underscoring how legal leadership is reshaping operational standards in the extractive industry.

In particular, the company’s in-house law team, led by chief legal counsel Noel Lazaro, continued to gain recognition across Asia’s legal community. 

At the 2025 Asian Legal Business (ALB) Philippine Law Awards held on October 8 at Shangri-La The Fort, FNI’s Reeno Febrero was named Young Lawyer of the Year (In-House) — one of several distinctions affirming the department’s growing reputation for consistency, integrity, and innovation.

FNI also secured multiple finalist citations, including In-House Lawyer of the Year, In-House Woman Lawyer of the Year, Philippine In-House Team of the Year, Construction and Real Estate In-House Team of the Year, and Innovative In-House Team of the Year. These back-to-back recognitions follow similar honors at the 2024 ALB Philippine Law Awards and the 2025 ALB Southeast Asia Law Awards in Singapore.

“These honors belong to the whole of FNI — because our work is never just individual,” said Lazaro. “Every milestone we reach stands on the shoulders of teamwork, trust, and our shared belief that mining, when guided by purpose and progress, can truly serve communities and the nation.”

Strategic counsel

Earlier that day, Lazaro joined a panel of general counsels at the ALB Philippine In-House Legal Summit, where he discussed the evolving role of corporate counsels as strategic business partners. He emphasized that legal departments are no longer confined to compliance but now shape governance and risk management in response to geopolitical and technological shifts.

Why it matters

FNI’s legal team’s visibility in the regional awards circuit reinforces the company’s leadership in responsible mining and corporate governance. As the Philippines seeks to expand its role in the global nickel supply chain, FNI’s integration of legal foresight into its business strategy signals a model for balancing profitability with accountability.

Global Ferronickel Holdings, Inc. is the country’s second-largest nickel ore producer, with operations in Surigao del Norte and Palawan, and plans to expand into nickel processing, cement manufacturing, and logistics.  — Daxim L. Lucas | Ed: Corrie S. Narisma