Can you please tell us a bit about your career trajectory?

I have over 20 years of experience, gained in tier one international law firms and multinational companies.  

In particular, I followed pilot cases regarding counterfeiting of three-dimensional trademarks and unfair competition when there was the opening of the market regarding pay telephone numbers (the famous premium telephone services).

As a house-lawyer, I followed the launch of Sky in Italy, pay satellite television as opposed to traditional TV.  

This was an unprecedented moment, where the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was also the owner of the company-main competitor of Sky Mediaset. We went from 15k to over 4M subscribers in less than 3 years; this has led me to have significant experience in terms of market scalability/fast business growth and legal assistance. 

I also followed the launch of DAZN in Italy, the OTT live sport streaming service. Another unrepeatable moment in my career in terms of business impact in a non-regulated market. Here my track record is linked to the management of various AGCM and AGCOM procedures linked to an innovative service and disruptive agreements with telcos (i.e. OTT and telco service bundles). Also in this case I developed a business acumen that helped me make legal assistance effective and innovative, with the use of legal strategy also in an aggressive and not just defensive function.
In DAZN we achieved the uncredible result of getting all the Serie A football matches, winning the tender against Sky, who had the monopoly for the previous 20 years.   

Today I work for another start-up, Doctolib, active in the world of digital health.
What do you see as the major legal challenges for in-house counsel in Italy over the next five years, and how are you preparing to address them? 

I see three main challenges. Get the common acknowledgement – especially from the business stakeholders – that running business without proper prior legal checks, is just a way to postpone problems.  A risk not considered is just a bigger problem in the making. Secondly, keep a strategic vision and impactful analytical thinking despite the grey areas or the rush of business, especially digital start-ups. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, prove that “legal costs” are added value. Always. Saving is not an advantage!   

I’m preparing for these challenges in learning from colleagues, in particular from business and tech teams. Legal thinking has no sense within a closed box. Active listening, maintaining a creative mindset and clear communications are, to me, the greatest assets we possess.
 

And I will never forget to study: food for thought is always the best investment in yourself.