What are the projects that you are most proud of working on over the past 12 months?

I am very proud of our team’s work towards more sustainable business through various projects over the past 12 months: preparing ourselves for CSRD and CS3D compliance and building strategic partnerships with various industrial players.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

At all times, it is crucial to stay close the core business, to understand challenges as well as the concerns that arise from our people. Only then can we proactively identify pressure points and risks, anticipate potential legal issues, navigate ethical challenges, and be prepared in times of instability and crisis e.g. by advising on risk mitigation strategies. By maintaining a proactive approach and curious mindset, not only towards our own business, but also to the ever-changing environment in which we operate, we add value and ensure organisation’s resilience.

Taking care of your own health and resilience is a crucial element as well! The legal environment is changing, the world around us is changing, situations are changing, organisational structures might be changing… so you need to maintain your own resilience to be able to offer support for the organisation.

What do you think sets you apart from other in-house counsel?

I am easily approachable and empathetic. I have worked to facilitate communication between different parts and levels of the organisation, I have been thanked for being easy to talk to and work with, and for being able to maintain and spread a positive attitude towards challenges. Legal professionals are often prepared to rattle sabres but, in my opinion, while being able to argue and protect the company’s rights is important, it’s more effective to build connection rather than a battle in a long run and in long term business relationships.

What do you think are the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel to possess?

Modern in-house counsels are tasked with navigating a myriad of legal and ethical challenges while advancing and protecting the company’s interests! Therefore, curiosity and interest in various different fields of law is one of the most important attributes for an in-house counsel, regardless of the sector in which the company operates. Trust is a crucial value that an in-house counsel needs to build to remain close to the business and to become a strategic partner for the organisation.

An important attribute to every professional is also to remain true to him/herself.

Based on your experiences in the past year, are there any trends in the legal or business world that you are keeping an eye on that you think other in-house lawyers should be mindful of?

Sustainability and corporate responsibility! It’s not a new trend and I have been keeping an eye on it for years, but I don’t think that any legal professional can leave this out of his/her scope. It grasps, some way or another, all fields of law relevant to companies, from the company’s own conduct to all of its agreements, business relationships, decision making, risk management and so on.