Team size: Six

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

The post-Covid-19 era and the war in Ukraine resulted in unprecedented market conditions. Unseen inflation and cost increases have put significant pressure on our company – and the FMCG sector in general – in sales and procurement activities.

This situation came with legal challenges that required us to revisit certain customer and supplier agreements that did not necessarily reflect the current market conditions. In hindsight, this challenge gave us the opportunity to hasten the revision of our collaboration with certain partners, redraft our contracts and secure our operations in uncertain times.

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?

Legal teams were heavily impacted by the pandemic. Prolonged remote working made it impossible for legal teams to be visible and spot business risks early. Additionally, there was a significant increase in online meetings and emails during this period that in normal circumstances, could have been replaced with a quick conversation in the office.

To rebalance this situation, we launched the concept of a “Legal Pitstop” – colleagues were invited weekly to the most strategic and visible spot of our office. They were encouraged to directly ask questions during a fixed one-hour slot. This allowed us to maintain team visibility and quickly respond to certain issues that would have otherwise resulted in extended dialogue online. This concept gained lots of traction with our business teams, due to its straightforwardness and zero cost.

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

I believe that the ability to succinctly convey complex messages to business teams is a key quality an in-house lawyer should possess. Clear communication builds a trusting relationship where the business can acknowledge the in-house legal team as a strategic partner, co-steering commercial decisions. I strongly believe that moving from the role of a mere gatekeeper – to a more strategic function, embedded in the business – makes in-house legal teams more valuable.