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

My team and I have been involved in implementing changes in the governance approach — from a very decentralised organisation to a more group-oriented approach in legal, compliance, data protection and IP management.

Part of my time has been dedicated to managing antitrust claim litigation related to the so-called “sugar cartel”. The work involved comprehending strategies and tactics with external legal and economic advisors, which I find very interesting because of my past as an antitrust lawyer in private practice.

Some other work areas included selling a large industrial estate in Romania, re-negotiating JV arrangements, integrating a JV company acquired in 2021, analysing different strategic options, and responding to current demands. We have been working on energy transition projects and the digitalisation of our production and our processes in the agricultural field. Due to ongoing digitalization projects, we are building up an IP management system.

Even though we already had a strong compliance programme, we have worked at strengthening and improving its functioning.

Our sustainability and legal department in Germany has been active in implementing the Germany Supply Act, which will come into effect in January 2023. I have been working with my colleagues from the sustainability department on its implementation. Every company with more than 3000 employees must apply monitoring systems of the supply chain, looking at human rights violations, social issues and environmental matters.

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

The influence of the pandemic concerning the world of work for in-house counsel can be seen in the remote working format. It did come with some challenges — one of them was keeping the team and business relationships in good working order. Some matters might be more demanding and can hardly be solved virtually. There are also benefits. Our company is present in multiple regions, and thanks to online platforms, it is much easier to connect while avoiding long journeys.

In terms of the function of general counsel, not much has changed other than the growing importance of IT and cyber security topics.

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

The best way to influence these policies is to trigger discussions among the leadership team. We are changing culture, and we are constantly having more young people joining the company, especially women, so we are going in the right direction.