Team size: Nine

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

Velliv, Pension & Livsforsikringhas approximately DKK300bn in assets under management, and my investment law team are continuously advising on the investments related to this. Furthermore, my corporate law team provides legal advice on all corporate contracts related to the business of Velliv, including vendor contract, IT-contract, distributions contracts etc. We are also responsible for the legal governance of the company, and in relation to this we provide legal advice to inter alia the executive management and board of directors on governance rules applicable to Velliv. Among other things we have recently – to the supervisory board’s satisfaction – drafted a proposal for an indemnification scheme for directors and officers of the company which is on the agenda of the upcoming annual general meeting.

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

Becoming a successful chief legal officer in a life insurance company requires not only a mastery of the regulation applicable for life-insurance companies but also strategic leadership, business acumen, a deep understanding of the insurance industry as well as interpersonal and relationship-building skills fostering strong stakeholder management. A chief legal officer must also have proficiency in emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to leverage innovative solutions for legal operations, risk assessment, compliance monitoring, and strategic decision-making.

How have you fostered a closer collaboration between the legal department and your business counterparts?

Prioritising taking the time to both obtain knowledge about what our business counterparts’ values in our cooperation as well as taking the time to explain the reasoning behind our legal advice. We request feedback both informally but also via the formalised structured application in Velliv facilitating feedback. On a recuring basis we invite key stakeholders to participate in meetings in the department with the agenda being that the stakeholders present the department in which they work, and how they provide value for Velliv. By doing this we get to know our stakeholder’s priorities, which enables us to better take these into consideration when providing legal advice to them.

Moreover, I highly encourage my employees to engage in social activities involving the business counterparts – and in this aspect I also “walk the walk”.

Do you have a cause, business-related or otherwise, that you are passionate about?

Fairness and personal integrity which in my eyes involves promoting honesty, transparency, and aligning one’s words with one’s actions. I always try to – and encourage the persons I interact with – to uphold their values and principles, even in the face of adversity or temptation, and I strongly believe that not only will this make the world a better place, but the individuals living in accordance with this will live happier.