Boon Yeow is a Director of Drew & Napier's Corporate & Finance Department. His main areas of practice are Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT), Broadcasting, Cybersecurity, Data Protection & Privacy, and Employment Law. His practice is anchored in complex regulatory advisory work at the intersection of law, technology, and public policy, particularly in heavily-regulated and fast-evolving sectors.
Boon Yeow regularly advises leading global and regional telecommunications operators, internet platforms, cloud service providers, data centre operators, and technology companies on the full spectrum of regulatory, licensing, corporate and compliance issues in Singapore. His work involves licensing strategy, regulatory engagement, enforcement matters, corporate structuring, and ongoing compliance, with a particular depth in advising on novel and emerging technologies.
He has extensive experience advising on telecommunications licensing under Singapore’s Facilities-Based Operator (FBO) and Service-Based Operator (SBO) regimes, including complex, multi-party and cross-border projects such as international subsea cable systems, cloud-based telecommunications services, and next-generation digital infrastructure. His work frequently involves devising pragmatic and innovative regulatory solutions to address unconventional business models, minimise regulatory friction, and align licensing outcomes with commercial objectives.
Boon Yeow also advises extensively on broadcasting regulation, competition issues under the Telecom and Media Competition Code, and regulatory obligations applicable to content providers. He is regularly engaged by multinational technology companies to assess licensing exposure for new products and functionalities, including services incorporating artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and other emerging technologies.
In the cybersecurity space, Boon Yeow advises multinational clients on Singapore’s cybersecurity regulatory framework, including licensing requirements for cybersecurity service providers, compliance with the Cybersecurity Act, and the operational impact of cybersecurity regulatory amendments. He has successfully assisted clients in obtaining complex cybersecurity licences, including for penetration testing and managed security operations centre services, and has represented clients in enforcement proceedings with favourable outcomes.
His data protection and privacy practice includes advising multinational and regional companies on compliance with Singapore’s personal data protection regime, surveillance and monitoring laws, and data protection governance obligations. He regularly assists with the drafting and review of privacy policies, data management frameworks, contractual data protection clauses, and data protection impact assessments, and has advised on sector-specific applications such as social media platforms, autonomous vehicles, and cloud-based services.
Boon Yeow also advises on technology-related employment matters, including employment contracts, workplace policies, hiring practices, and disciplinary proceedings, and also where data protection considerations intersect with employment law considerations.
Prior to joining Drew & Napier, Boon Yeow served in a Singapore statutory board as a Legal Officer on a fully-sponsored overseas scholarship. In that role, he advised on a broad range of contentious and non-contentious matters, including drafting regulatory frameworks, statutory interpretation, exercise of regulatory powers, public sector contracts, employment disputes, criminal prosecution, and civil claims. He was also seconded to the Civil Division of the Attorney-General’s Chambers, where he worked on a wide range of civil matters on statutory interpretation, exercise of discretion on regulatory powers, contractual drafting, and employment disputes.
Some of the matters that Boon Yeow has handled include the following:
- Assisted multinational telecommunications operators with securing Facilities-Based Operator (FBO) licences for international subsea cable systems landing in Singapore, including advising on complex multi-party transactions, regulatory strategy, and corporate structuring.
- Advised and represented multiple multinational internet and technology companies and achieved favourable outcomes for the clients in regulatory enforcement proceedings.
- Engaged by a national authority to assist with the development and implementation of a new regulatory framework arising from a nationwide liberalisation of the postal sector.
- Advised multiple multinational technology companies on telecommunication and broadcasting licensing requirements concerning cutting-edge products and new functions.
- Advised a Chinese social media company on rolling out services in Singapore, including drafting the full set of requisite personal data protection-related documents.