What has been the number one challenge that has impacted you over the past year?

VEON, a global digital operator, provides converged connectivity and online services in multiple jurisdictions, including Ukraine and Russia. Consequently, the biggest challenge for the company and legal team was navigating the challenging legal and geopolitical conditions that resulted from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. This has also included operating in a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape rife with multilateral sanctions and export controls.

Ensuring compliance with these measures, while restructuring the business by entering into an agreement to sell our Russian operations has been the cornerstone of the legal team’s contribution to the survival and success of VEON. This has been combined with monumental efforts to run our network in Ukraine to provide a vital connection, support Ukrainian team members who persevered through a dangerous, life-changing period and service Ukrainian customers roaming throughout Europe. Finally, we supported our local teams in Pakistan and Bangladesh who faced disastrous flood conditions toward the end of the year.

Do you have an example of a time when you have come up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works that did not result in a large expense?

I believe innovation does not have to be costly, and any associated costs can often be offset by savings. I led an initiative related to our external reporting and public disclosure obligations as the development, review and eventual publication of our annual reports was a rather compartmentalised process, lacking in technology utilisation and cross-functional collaboration. We implemented a solution that automated several aspects of the process and encouraged better cross-functional collaboration. The time and external cost savings exceeded the cost of the tools needed and led to better results.

What would you say are the unique qualities required to be successful as an in-house lawyer in your industry?

Telecommunications companies evolve to better leverage the converged connectivity and online services they offer. As such, lawyers in our industry need to navigate the challenges faced by a well-established, highly regulated industry while also being agile enough to partner with internal business teams to innovate and support new product lines and compete with technology companies that have higher risk appetites and lower regulatory burdens.