Team size:11

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?  

During 2020-2023 we had to face a continuous period of instability due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war, so close to Romania.

Imagine that I had just joined the company in my new role as head of legal, and the pandemic stopped any interaction and presence at the office one month after my 1st day in the organisation. I was just getting to know the legal team and the organisation and a lot of barriers popped up.

However, in my first 100 days within this role, we finalised an important M&A transaction, and we also acquired a smaller retail business.

I also succeeded in building my legal team. How have I done it?

It helped me a lot knowing the industry so that it was clear to me what had to be done to not interrupt the business activity.

Also, I involved the legal team in all projects, ensuring individual and collaborative involvement from each of the team member, establishing the role of the legal department in such critical and not unpredictable moments.

Working in the healthcare industry, we are focused not only on providing support with legal requirements, but we really want to make a difference. Our legal team was proud for being the first offering covid tests online to be sold and advocate for changes in legislation, we volunteered to support schools in receiving kids to be tested, among many other projects.

I do believe that in case of instability, the legal team should be focusing on ensuring the stability of the team, not only of the legal team, but of all the departments that are suffering and need proper communication to remain stable.

Proper information and communication (time wise, completeness and accuracy, scenarios) to the BoD in order to support them to take the best business decision.

Proactive approach and professional legal support worth regard to any measure and decision that the organisation should take to minimise the legal risk but also the business one

How do you prioritise diversity and inclusion within your legal department, and what initiatives have you implemented to foster a more inclusive and equitable work environment?  

Being part of a German group, the inclusive and equitable work environment is one of the main pillars of our organisational culture.

In my legal department we are only women and one man, and this could be considered an inclusion.

However, at this moment the legal team we built together has the same values in life of no discrimination; and moreover, we are always empathetic with all our colleges irrespective of any attribute that could lead to discrimination.