Team size: Twelve

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?

As general counsel in the chrome industry, I navigate legal challenges during crises by staying proactive and adaptable to the needs of the business and operating environment. I work closely with our various business unit management teams to ensure clear communication and swift action, keeping everyone informed and aligned. By maintaining up-to-date knowledge of regulations and integrating legal considerations into our business strategy, I help safeguard our operations and support business continuity. I also prioritise transparent communication with stakeholders and develop contingency plans to address potential disruptions. My goal is to ensure that our legal strategy mitigates risks and aligns with our broader business objectives, fostering resilience and long-term success for our organisation.

What strategies do you employ to ensure the successful digital transformation of a legal department while maintaining compliance with South Africa’s data protection laws?

There are various strategies and platforms that the legal department has successfully employed or is in the process of employing to digitally transform the legal department. The department utilises leading governance, risk and compliance management software to oversee and maintain legislative compliance. The department uses a bespoke software solution to enhance the efficiency of our board and enterprise management processes. We also leverage the company’s project management software to capture ideas for continuous improvement, initiate projects based on approved ideas and track their implementation. Finally, the department is launching contract management software to automate the entire contract lifecycle.

To maintain compliance with South Africa’s data protection laws, it has been imperative to ensure, through our data privacy policies and those of our vendors, that the various digital platforms focus on data privacy in each phase of the process, strict access control measures, data collection and retention are in line with data protection laws and regular staff training and awareness is conducted.

In your opinion, what are the main trends that are salient in your country currently (these can be legal, political, economy or business-based)?

Economic and sociopolitical considerations are the main trends in South Africa currently. The fluctuation of the rand affects profitability for companies; a weaker rand can boost export revenues but increase costs associated with procuring material, equipment and technology, which overall affects a company’s production cost. This, in turn, impacts interconnected economic issues such as employment, commodity price volatility and reduced investment opportunities. The sociopolitical factors impacting South Africa have been highlighted significantly following the National Elections in May 2024, which saw the election of what we know as the Government of National Unity. Governance challenges, corruption, and policy uncertainty create an unpredictable investment environment, directly affecting our economy.

How can general counsel foster a corporate culture that supports ESG principles and compliance across all levels of the organisation?

What do Picasso, Bob Dylan, Orson Wells and Herman Melville have in common? They are all artists who became successful very early in their careers. And their antithesis? Vincent van Gogh, Alfred Hitchcock, Leonard Cohen and Mark Twain found their magic in the latter years of their careers.

When considering ESG, the first thought is “another red-tape expense that could have zero benefits for a company in the short term”. There is no standard procedure for hard work to pay off, and ESG is no exception.