How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

During the Covid pandemic, we saw some of the most challenging times for many businesses. Being in the travel industry, we had to rethink our business model to survive. Fortunately, as a relatively young company, fighting for survival was not a distant memory as we went through tougher times when we were founded 10 years ago, and we were small and agile enough to make adjustments quickly. Managing the legal aspects of the company also required us to be fast and agile to help the business get back on track. While we had some baseline for risk management, the key was to make quick decisions by quantifying the risks and rewards through testing, learning, and adapting with the market. Another key aspect that we learned was the importance of empathy. As a company, customer obsession is one of our key strategies. For our team, we extend this philosophy to team members, colleagues, partners and stakeholders. This was especially important during the pandemic when everything was uncertain. Having empathy allowed us to build the trust and unity that was required for the company and the industry to bounce back together.

What measures has your company taken to embed sustainability practices into its core business operations, and how does the role of the general counsel contribute to driving and ensuring sustainable practices within the company?

As a senior executive with direct access to the board and all other senior executives in the company, General counsel are in the best position to advocate for changes to establish sustainable practices because sustainability is such a wide and all-encompassing topic. At our company, the Sustainability team is part of the Legal and Public Affairs team. As we celebrate the company’s 10th anniversary, we are highlighting our efforts in sustainability, which underscore the company’s dedication to community engagement, animal welfare and climate impact, solidifying its commitment to action beyond mere compliance. We also partner with internal stakeholders, such as HR, to drive changes from within – from establishing employee engagement groups that focus on sustainability or women, to increasing female representation at senior level, our Sustainability team has a critical role to play.