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?

Working at a global financial institution with presence and clients across the globe results in my team’s and my work being influenced by the macro- and micro- environment across jurisdictions and having to balance one or more high pressure crises while doing our “day jobs”. The management of these requires proper and effective utilistion of the team and its resources.

My approach to managing disruptions, and instability generally, varies by the nuances of each situation. However, we must be consistent in our application of how we serve our clients, providing sound, reasonable and practical advice and counsel. This requires stepping back, listening, asking the right questions and appreciating the issues from legal, regulatory and other lenses. We utilise technical legal skills to analyze and advise on the law but are routinely faced with more than one legal option or solution and I call on my team to always do the right thing – what makes sense and is right for our firm, its clients and many stakeholders. We must use judgment.

We become trusted advisors and consiglieres to our clients by understanding the business and its strategy while maneuvering an ever-changing environment. Trust is gained, sometimes over several crises. In managing instability in the current legal and regulatory landscape, we need to be novel, pragmatic and adaptable, which aligns with the business’ transformative strategic principles.

In your opinion, what are the main trends affecting your work now?

The work that we do and, relatedly, the industry in which we practice, is influenced by several trends. I believe these include areas of regulatory focus (such as ESG, privacy digital currencies, consumer protection and AI) and the continued proliferation of technological advances in banking. Many times, technological advances and client demand move at a faster pace than the speed at which law, regulation and jurisprudence move, which requires that we as lawyers be forward thinking, look beyond the law as written and consider its intent. Political trends will also continue to influence this landscape and the broader economic environment affecting two-legged individual clients as well as large-scale companies.

What strategic priorities are guiding your legal team into 2025?

We are guided by core priorities and principles supporting the overall business strategy. We aim to responsibly facilitate business growth & enhance the client experience, and a major part of this is innovation. We are prioritising efficiency and enhancing the way we provide legal advice, whether through the application of new processes or technology.

We continue to focus on risk reduction at all levels while enhancing engagement and collaboration with other areas and the business. These priorities go hand in hand with innovation, each of which support responsible growth and an enhanced client experience. I also prioritise the well-being of my team members. The skills that will be required going forward are those that have always allowed us to provide quality service. As a legal community we have learned a lot about how we work and how we can work since the pandemic; this has allowed us to be more adaptable and resilient as lawyers and we will continue prioritise that into 2025.