About

Ulf Bathke recently took on the general counsel role for Industrialization & Energy Services Company (TAQA), a Saudi business operation aimed at developing the industrial capacity of Saudi Arabia, particularly through the adoption of energy solutions for these. Bathke was brought in to create the legal function at TAQA, and goes into the initial actions he undertook to assemble a first-class legal team: ‘The first step here was certainly putting in place rules as to how to deal and manage external legal counsels who had been doing all the legal work at TAQA before I was appointed. I developed a charter for the legal department aimed at structuring the effective provision of legal services to my in-house clients… the feedback I have had thus far is very positive and my colleagues appreciate a structured and obviously more cost effective approach’. While Bathke maintains that ‘there is no one-size-fits-all approach’ to identifying top in-house counsel, he maintains that ‘there are essential characteristics each and every in-house lawyer must bring to the job, such as being highly organised, effectively communicative at all levels and a problem solver rather than a problem creator’. Alongside his corporate legal expertise, Bathke has received praise for his in-depth understanding of Islamic law, especially useful in Saudi Arabia’s business environment, which allows him to successfully liaise with external counsel who are familiar with other legal systems. He mentions cultural understanding as a must for those who wish to make a success outside their home environment: ‘If you work in the Middle East, then it certainly helps a lot if you have made the effort to learn Arabic and become fully familiar with Arab culture. It will make a lot of things easier for you, and opens doors for you which will always remain closed to other foreigners. You should be able to find beauty in a culture which is not your own’, he advises.