About

Distinguished in-house lawyer Susanna Fasolis has over 20 years of cross-border experience in multinational group settings, as well as with medium size companies across Italy. In 2011 Bayer made her responsible for heading the legal department of Italy, supporting various businesses that have been established in the healthcare and crop-science markets for over a century. Fasolis currently coordinates with the global legal function of the group to foster a partnering mentality, which encourage in-house lawyers in her team to understand the practical side of competition, as well as the budget constraints of public systems and the urgency of introducing digital innovation to improve spreading of better patients’ assistance and better agricultural practices. ‘What is most fascinating about my work is that the group has a strategic long term view and is not over-influenced by short term considerations. In past years I have been able to live through many organisational changes, while also increasing my specific in-house experience in divestments. The ethical and cultural approach in these changes could be clearly appreciated and the logic of it always supports management in their implementation’ says Fasolis. Internally she has been responsible for designing online legal training courses in Italian for in-house administration to management and is a proponent of continuous in-house legal education for directors. Together with colleagues at corporate level, the Italian national legal team and external criminal law counsel, she designed and implemented the initial corporate compliance structure for the Italian companies of the group. Her area of expertise covers, but is not limited to, the legal issues of manufacturing, sales, distribution, marketing and promotion of the pharmaceutical business and of diagnostics and medical services. With a distinguished career in the pharmaceutical business, prior to her current role Fasolis served as the general counsel of another Italian pharmaceutical group, and before that in an Italian company of the spirits and wines sector. With all the legal roles she’s taken on, Fasolis states she has always enjoyed leading and developing a team of skilled in-house lawyers to meet the continuous changes in the market and related business needs.