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

The year 2022 was a tough and yet remarkable one, as the demand for credits in Mercon Coffee Group increased with the extraordinarily high prices of coffee. The growing demand forced us to engage with more than 80 financial institutions and banks as well as countless credit and guarantor agreements. Because Mercon has a presence in over ten countries (including Ethiopia and Vietnam) and Mercon Coffee Group comprises more than 30 companies, our legal team had to work across many transactions and jurisdictions at once. Personally, I had to familiarise myself with many new processes and systems since 2022 was my first year at Mercon. One of my tasks was to structure and strengthen the legal team, so along with the day-to-day legal work, I had to spend time reengineering the team by bringing in new personnel (we began 2022 as a two-member team and now we are five).

In which ways have you attempted to bring the legal department closer to your business colleagues?

When I joined Mercon, I brought with me some good practices I’d implemented in previous jobs, like holding monthly meetings with the business side of the company. I also ensured we had the legal software necessary to efficiently manage and deliver our legal services across the business. Finally, I reorganized the structure of the legal department, assigning different business sectors and different jurisdictions to each member or our team.