Team size: 15

Major legal advisers: Consortium Legal

What are the most significant cases or transactions you and your team have been involved in?

In 2016 we acquired a retail portfolio from Citibank. The acquisition involved multiple teams of the bank. The legal department was a key player throughout the integration process, especially in supporting the different units on all the legal and regulatory aspects to comply with the local legislation. The process took a couple of years — teamwork has been fundamental in bringing together different departments and co-operating to reach the common goal of finalising the integration and moving forward with our business.

In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years?

The in-house legal role was originally focused on mastering traditional legal knowledge and skills. In today’s continually changing world, general counsel have assumed the position of leading business decisions and directly supporting risk analysis and management. Using technology to improve processes has become essential to delivering legal services more efficiently. Building strong relationships with business partners and developing excellent emotional intelligence capabilities will help in gaining trust in the advice.

In a changing financial landscape, how does the company remain competitive against new phenomena such as fintech and blockchain, and how does the legal team assist with this?

Fintech is equipping the banking industry with tools that make processes efficient. Banks are introducing different devices such as chatbots and apps to improve customer service and provide a real-time experience. The banking industry is shifting to embrace a fully digital system; to implement the new virtual solutions, the legal department must take the lead in overseeing and complying with all the legal and regulatory requirements.