How do you feel the pandemic has changed the world of work for in-house counsel and the function of the general counsel?

The key to success for in-house lawyers is to be deeply embedded in the business. For my team it is essential to stay close to our marketing, sales and commercial colleagues. That was very complex to do during lockdowns. Especially for new colleagues who were hired during the pandemic and did not have a network yet, this was quite a challenge. However, I think it is a good thing that we were all forced to be more flexible in our work and adapted accordingly. We have learnt to work more efficiently with technology platforms like Teams and Zoom. It is such a big difference when I compare how we work and how easy it is nowadays to organize an international meeting. Lawyers were forced to become more familiar with digital tools and have a better understanding of how to use them efficiently. In a country that is not so far developed when it comes to digitalisation, like Germany, this is key to success.

How much influence do you, as a general counsel, have on the diversity and inclusion policies of your organisation?

We can act as a good example. In Germany, we have a lot of outstanding female lawyers. Many of them do not want to work full-time for family reasons. It is essential to give them still the opportunity to work in leadership positions and on interesting projects by allowing part-time models and providing flexibility. At Novo Nordisk, we have more women than men working in Legal. We have also decided to promote activities aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion. We are not there yet, but we are working towards it, and it is getting better day by day.