About

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years?

An important project is WEEE management (waste electrical and electronic management). We have an ongoing dialogue over environment specific legislation with national authorities, different national and European associations and with European Commission. We are serious when it comes to the environment as a group, therefore we are active in this sector and I was elected as deputy chair on the AmCham Environment Committee (American Chamber of Commerce).

What changes have you made to the legal department during your time in your current role? How has that affected the wider company?

Our team has enlarged and now I am proud to have more seniors and juniors altogether, so we can better split tasks considering each of my colleagues’ experience and professional skills.

I am improving effectiveness and by having this structure, I am trying to define specialists and to meet internal clients’ expectations. Having a truly experienced and specialised team, we can understand better our industry and the business and working like this, the legal approach towards different subjects is more business-oriented and accurate to company’s needs.

We are constantly monitoring compliance with various internal policies, and are involved in improving such procedures considering both legal updates and the company development.

What do you do personally to promote diversity and inclusion in your company? In your team?

The first answer for this question that comes to my mind is – a mixed team, which we have. As already mentioned, we have seniors, juniors and paralegals.

We actively seek out new perspectives and ideas – each of us has a different education, different experiences, has different perspective over life. Having such diverse life experiences we can bring different solutions to the challenges that we face every day. Just looking at something with a new perspective means we might find the real solution for the company.

Take time to get to know colleagues, to understand and appraise for their personal success, encourage them to develop.

What advice would you give to an aspiring in-house lawyer or GC?

In-house activity is very challenging and offers a variety of opportunities – you just have to stay focused.

You must understand the needs of your internal clients and never accept staying in a comfort zone. You have to be the best of you every day for internal clients to trust you and respect your opinion.

What do you feel are the pros and cons of an in-house legal role compared to a private practice one?

Before joining Arctic, I was a private lawyer with my own law firm. After five years of private practice, it was time to enlarge my professional expertise to a more business-oriented one.

As a pro: Variety of topics that challenges your development. You are not just a specialist dedicated only for one law area, but every day you must learn, and must update legal requirements (both national and European) from different legal aspects. Your approach should comply with business needs because a solution is expected from you, not only a theoretical answer. I strongly believe an in-house lawyer is not only a legal person but more and more a business partner for the top management.

An in-house lawyer gains broader experience and should be alert each day to different legal areas, meanwhile an attorney is usually specialised in one area of law. The environment – when solving different situations, the in house lawyers are connected with their peers from internal departments and working together with colleagues from different area of expertise, help gaining knowledge of different processes from business. An in-house lawyer has better control over the workload; of course there are exceptions, but in general, the life-work balance is more respected than in law firms.

In terms of cons: Within a company that has many different departments, is like you have many different clients addressing various topics for your assessment and each of them needs answers from you in the same day, at the same time. Every day you have to understand which topic is more important or needs you to mark it as a priority; and this can be done only if you know your company’s business and day-to-day activity.

FOCUS ON… GOING GREEN

This started as a new challenge – to attend the environment meetings organised by a dedicated business association. From that moment I started to learn more on the environment topics custom made for the white goods production industry, to understand better the European Directives regulating the environment rules that should be implemented in all EU member states.

The company has a principle – respect the globe, respected globally – and our work and our company’s development plans are respecting this principle.

Our new production plant in Romania is called a green factory, with smart heating and cooling system, efficient lighting system with daylight utilisation, installed renewable energy plants, wastewater treatment and rain water harvesting systems.

The factory is a candidate for LEED Platinum certification, which is the highest level in the LEED green building rating system. We used high-efficient LED luminaires for indoor and outdoor lighting. Lighting automation control the system by occupancy and day light intensity. Along with LED luminaires and lighting automation, the entire system is designed to be 70% more efficient than fluorescent lighting. To respect the environment is a commitment taken by our business.

Of course, all of these are huge investments for a better environment, but each of us, with minor actions, putting together, can create a better environment. Education plays a huge role in
any society – so we should teach children how
to live green and how to take care of their environment.

We all shouldn’t just think about what others can do for us and for our world. These days we have to take very seriously the responsibility about environment and the effects that our actions have over the environment. Each of us is responsible for the world that we are living in.

Environment plays an essential role in the healthy living of human beings and we all are responsible to preserve the quality of life.