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

Navigating several ‘storms’ composed of a unique combination of negotiating high-value transformational M&A transactions and managing risk due to changing economic circumstances and the impacts thereof on the business. This was all during a time where scarcity of and access to talent was proving to be extremely challenging. Strategically, the past year was an exceptional year comprising several high value transformational M&A files that laid the foundations for future growth and adjacencies. From a governance perspective, four new Board members and a new Chair were onboarded, shareholders meetings were organised, and further ESG focus was explored in view of changing regulations.

While navigating legal and regulatory changes across several legal domains, we worked to safeguard the business by managing increased risk, ensured compliance in a rapidly changing regulatory environment, and worked to stay ahead of rapidly changing labour and organisational challenges.

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?

To effectively manage a group with over 40 group entities and a corresponding range of compliance requirements, we introduced working with a relatively low-cost cloud database for our corporate administration to digitise standard compliance and confidentiality forms. To improve visibility and accountability of M&A projects throughout the company, we introduced standard M&A process meetings and refined our cross departmental way of working with tools within our own digital ecosystem. To manage legal budgets, we introduced self-generated tables that could provide, at any time, an accurate view of current legal expenses from several lenses.

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

Be agile, adaptable, and proactive in your approach towards the whole of your stakeholder universe. Discuss potential legal issues timely and upfront, so alternative solutions can be worked out. Genuinely listen to your client’s business concerns and problem-solve along with them. Have a ‘can do’ mentality, but draw the line when necessary. Never compromise on integrity, but at the same time keep an open perspective into alternatives that might better serve the business purpose. Put culture high on your priority list; expertise is important, but attitude is even more so. Ensure the team is more than the sum of its parts.