Laurent Pitet lists moving to an in-house role – he previously worked in private practice during the 1980s – as among his fondest memories, indicating his enthusiasm for work as an internal counsel as well as the impact it has had on his professional development. He notes the first time he was given charge of a full in-house team, when he was made legal director at GSK, as another particular highlight which gave him the chance to ‘build a real team’ from the ground up.

Repeating this feat at Bayer HealthCare, and describes how he has ‘implemented a culture focusing on management of legal risks, compliance and ethics and lawyers as business partners’. In terms of marquee projects that Pitet has been involved with, he mentions ‘three main disinvestments: a full range business unit in diabetes care, a significant healthcare product in an oncology franchise and one significant manufacturing site specialised in essential oils used on cosmetic and pharmaceutical products’. Pitet believes the three core watchwords of a general counsel should be ‘people, passion and performance’. Adding, ‘people are our main asset. Passion is fuel for thought and performance is the result of an efficient legal team providing full support for the company’s developments’.