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Stephen Bodley, chief legal counsel for $2.5bn-revenue Saudi mining company Ma’aden, has made the most of his time in the Middle East. ‘Working in the Middle East has been amazing’, he explains, ‘as while adapting to the business and professional culture was a challenge at first, it was an immensely rewarding experience’. He feels the legal function at the company has been strengthened significantly since joining. ‘The biggest driver of a successful in-house professional function’, he states, ‘is the people’. Bodley, as part of the senior management of the firm, also ensures that there is legal perspective in strategic decisions made by the company at a number of levels, as he explains: ‘The team has a hybrid structure with senior lawyers who are primarily responsible for certain business lines organisational units’. Bodley is clear that a firm legal foundation has played a major part in his success, and suggests other prospective GCs follow this example. ‘I would advise that they get the best training they can early on in their careers. I was very fortunate that I got this specialist training early on which has served me well throughout. Get the best experience you can, and don’t necessarily worry as much about a difference in salary at the start of your career, just focus on improving your skills’, he advises.