Karen Abella

Karen Abella has a diverse and extensive work experience spanning over two decades. Karen currently holds the position of Head of Legal at UNObank, where they started in December 2021. Prior to this, Karen worked as a Legal Consultant from February 2021 to November 2021.

Their most notable role was as the Director of Business and Legal Affairs at The Walt Disney Company from April 2016 to September 2020. During their time there, they established the local legal and compliance functions, provided legal expertise in various areas such as corporate law, commercial transactions, civil litigation, intellectual property, M&A, and general legal advice. Karen also successfully improved the compliance and audit status of the local office, focusing on areas like compliance culture, data privacy, anti-trust/competition, anti-bribery policies, and documentation and processes. Additionally, they acted as a Senior Legal Business Partner, supporting business and corporate teams in the Philippines and other SEA territories.

Prior to their role at Disney, Karen worked as a Legal Counsel at Unilever from July 2011 to March 2016, where they provided legal expertise and compliance training to different business units and oversaw category legal work for all brands and product categories in the Philippines.

Before Unilever, Karen served as a Legal Counsel and Head of the Portfolio Monitoring Team at BDO Unibank from October 2008 to July 2011. Karen managed the largest commercial litigation portfolio for the bank, supervised external legal counsels, and achieved favorable decisions and settlement agreements.

Earlier in their career, Karen held positions such as Legal Manager at ABS-CBN Corporation, Court Attorney VI at the Supreme Court, and Associate at Villaraza & Angangco Law Offices. Karen gained valuable experience in contract law, intellectual property law, and specialized in civil and commercial litigation.

Karen started their career as a Junior Assistant Manager and later became a Management Trainee at PCIBank from 1996 to 1998.

Overall, Karen Abella has a strong background in legal and compliance, with a focus on corporate law, commercial transactions, litigation, intellectual property, and regulatory compliance. Their experience in various industries such as banking, entertainment, and consumer goods has given their a well-rounded skill set.

Karen Abella attended Ateneo de Manila University from 1992 to 1996, where they obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Economics. Following this, from 1998 to 2002, they enrolled in the University of the Philippines, earning an LLB degree. The field of study for their LLB degree was not specified.