Team size: 29 at headquarters, 30 overseas

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

Some of the major cases and transactions we have been involved in include the multi jurisdictions’ anti-trust investigations and litigations.

We have also been dealing with M&A: four deals closed within the last 12 months, focused on the professional appliances business.

Tackle governance issues at the board level and founding family shareholders structures.

We have also been at the forefront of discussing and approving ESG policy at the board level for implementation in 2025 (CSRD directive).

Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?

Implement a simple tool within the internal client base requiring explicit any request for legal assistance, amounts at stake, and timing (called ‘My Legal Request’). This was very helpful in 2016 for disciplining the increasing number of requests without any real value and supporting the new organization of the Legal Department.

What are some of the main trends in the industry sector you work in in France?

E-commerce has been an instrumental switch of distributors’ function in our industry (like others in consumables), mixing a more extensive list of players. Current inflation has completed a total turnaround of this function, with uncertain consequences. Reparability and recyclability of products will be a core value expected by consumers, and brands will have to engage with consumers but on true and accurate features, not greenwashing claims.

As we enter the next decade, what skills will a corporate legal team need to succeed in the modern in-house industry?

A deep understanding of the business dynamics in their industry is core because it will shape the main areas of law to tackle. Building a sharp knowledge of technological advancements which make true sense and appear workable and put aside all the others. Do not accept to be submerged. Always think about logistics and agenda: for M&A, litigations, investigations…Structure your statements and advice to the Board straightforwardly and candidly, with simple words, displaying the amounts/risks at stake and options.

Philippe Sumeire is Executive Vice President Legal and Secretary of the BoD of Groupe SEB, world leader in small domestic appliances and cookware, headquarted in France. With a turnover above 8 billion €, Groupe SEB is operating 41 manufacturing and R&D sites within 150 countries through 147 affiliates and is particularly known for brands such as Rowenta, Tefal/T-Fal, Krups, Seb, Calor, All Clad, WMF, SUPOR, Lagostina and Moulinex.

Philippe Sumeire is managing the Legal Department which includes 29 corporate lawyers at headquarters in Ecully, close to Lyon, and 30 lawyers overseas, including ZHEJIANG SUPOR Co., a Chinese affiliate listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

During his career of 39 years, Philippe Sumeire was lawyer in the international departments of industrial Groups such as Peugeot SA, Atochem (subsidiary of Elf Aquitaine in the mid 80’s).

His first position as a General Counsel in 1989 was within Club Med and then for other businesses managing larger teams, such as Giat Industries, the national manufacturer of land defense systems such as MBTs.

He became the Vice President Legal and Secretary of the Board of Moulinex SA in 1998 and assisted the board of Directors and the executives in 2001/2002 within the bankruptcy and restructuring process of MOULINEX SA (shares issue, restructuring plans, judiciary transfer of selected assets to SEB and cooperation with the receivers).

Philippe has a Doctorate in Private Law from the University of Aix-Marseille III.

He is private pilot since 2006 and Chairman of the oldest club around Lyon: Aéroclub du Rhône et du Sud-Est.