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

New EU legislation that emphasises stricter import and export controls due to political situations in various parts of the world – especially relating to potential human right violations – has been difficult to navigate. The situation in Ukraine has made international trade even more challenging due to the high number of sanctions against Russia.

As a distributor operating in a global environment, we try to respond in the best way, seeking dialogue with stakeholders including our suppliers, customers, and shareholders. Last year, we discontinued our operations in Russia, updated our policies and guidelines on trade restrictions and created a global team of trade export approvers. We also implemented stronger automated third-party software to optimise the screening and monitoring of business partners. We also constantly embrace initiatives for a sustainable and ethical approach on international trade and contribute to the value chain. It is therefore unsurprising that international trade compliance has become one of my daily tasks.

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 set up a legal SharePoint – a secure place to store, organise and exchange information. This was a valuable addition to the team, providing legal team members constant access to information and staying connected at all times. We also created a public version available for the whole organisation, performing the same functions – such as access to contract procedures and templates and information on contract management. By doing this, we improved contract awareness and reduced the risk of outdated templates being used. It was also useful to legal firms for due diligence checks on specific matters.

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

While a sharp legal mindset is a prerequisite. it is crucial to understand business dynamics and anticipate business needs. In other words, a good counsel in our industry is result-oriented, promptly available and communicates with people in and outside the organisation.