About

As group company secretary for C&C Group, a leading manufacturer, marketer and distributer of branded beverages in Ireland, David Johnston has worked on transforming the legal function into an integrated part of the business. Discussing the changes he’s made in his current role, Johnston says: ‘I’ve tried to change the department so it’s more internal client focused and is closer to the business rather than being viewed as an internal law firm.’ Under his leadership the legal team won the in-house legal department of the year award for 2013 at the Irish Law Awards. Johnston attributes his excellent leadership qualities on his previous experience as group general counsel for Paddy Power which saw him managing the acquisition of the Australian sports betting company Sportsbet and the integration of the legal function into the Paddy Power Team. Leading on from this process, Paddy Power became the first online betting company to receive an accreditation from the Nevada Gaming Commission, an accomplishment which has shaped Johnston’s professional experience tremendously: ‘They all helped me to look at how best to manage legal teams both on a local and international basis and how to manage complex multi-jurisdictional projects and issues.’ As a member of the Executive Committee he works very closely with the CEO and the rest of the management team to promote further integration.