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?  

Sharing is the key. 

Working on different activities with different team members, due to time constraints and different working groups, was an efficient way to manage a single activity but was not efficient and helpful in terms of coherence of the different outputs. 

Setting a periodic alignment among all the different team members was initially perceived as a waste of time by all the team members. 

After a few months they discovered that often what was a new issue for someone has been analysed and defined by another team member a few months before. After a while of this periodic alignment, the knowledge of one person started to be knowledge of the team. 

Can you foresee any key developments to the way general counsel works over the next five years?   

The legal environment has changed a lot in the last few years, and it is still changing. The recruitment and commitment of young lawyers is becoming more every day. The drivers that have been used to improve commitment and involvement in the past are no longer effective. 

The legal profession (and the industrial sector) is now facing a big change and we have to decide if we want to be part of this cultural change or we will continue to refuse it, because it is not in line with the past. 

It is a good opportunity for general counsel to start working with their teams using new leverages; understanding what drivers for new generations are, which are usually more dedicated and sensitive with respect to ESG matters. 

This might help to spread the ESG values all around the company, not only on a top-down modality. 

In the long term, this can become a great asset for sustainable managerial decisions. 

How do you prioritise diversity and inclusion within your legal department, and what initiatives have you implemented to foster a more inclusive and equitable work environment?  

Diversity and inclusion are a must and an asset. Different approaches and different points of view are a key factor for successful teamwork. 

In a strong industrial sector as the one we are working in, it is important for the top managers to support and to help everyone to feel comfortable, to create an environment where different ideas are welcome and where thinking differently does not mean thinking wrongly. 

Once the proper environment has been set up, people will feel free to share their ideas and be part of a bigger project. 

Also having different panels of legal advisors involving both genders at the top level of the team, and not only as a working force, also helps to develop new habits with respect to inclusion.