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

Given the small size of our global legal team, my responsibilities include global matters, while also focusing on our APAC sales and marketing organisation. The project that has had – and continues to have – the most direct business impact is our upgrade of global eCommerce sites for multiple brands, including creating and upgrading eCom sites in Europe and APAC. This includes assessment of legal terms, privacy and cookie policies and implementation of controls on gathering and use of personal information. This requires working closely with many colleagues in Europe and APAC in functions such as IT, sales, marketing, logistics and customer service, in addition to legal colleagues responsible for IP and privacy.

At Fiskars Group our purpose is to “pioneer design to make the everyday extraordinary“. This means to take a consumer-first view in everything we do. This influences how I have been managing our e-commerce site reviews. I have handled this project not only as a legal and compliance review, but also by always keeping in mind how the consumer is able to find the information they want easily if they have questions. For example, organising information in a way that is logical from the consumer’s perspective, while also ensuring that we meet our legal requirements in each market.

Could you share an example of a time when your team came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?

In the area of privacy, the legal team works very closely with the IT security team and various other functions to ensure we meet our ever-expanding privacy and security obligations in our markets. To do this, we have a privacy and cybersecurity group that meets regularly to discuss, handle and advise on these issues. Using the collective knowledge of team members from various functions and regions allows us to have a better understanding of the global privacy and security environment as well as to share knowledge of local or function-specific developments.

How important is choosing to work with external lawyers who align with your company’s values?

This is very important, as Fiskars Group seeks to ensure that our core values are part of everything we do. We require that all suppliers, including law firms, understand and agree to follow our Supplier Code of Conduct. Doing business the right way means we live in accordance with our values. We expect the same of those we work with in support of our business.

How do you suggest in-house lawyers build strong relationships with business partners?

It is very important to have a business mindset and understand the priorities and goals of the business. Viewing issues and inquiries only through a legal lens does not help colleagues, nor does providing advice in “legal speak”. I aim to understand where each person I work with is coming from and what they want to achieve. Working with colleagues in many countries and regions I also adjust the way I work, taking into account different customs and working styles. At the same time, an equally important part of my role is to ensure we properly assess risk and ensure compliance with our internal and external obligations. I’ve always thought that my motto could be “To protect and serve”: protect the Fiskars Group from unacceptable risks while serving business colleagues to achieve their goals. Both are equally important to promote growth and success of the group.

Building strong relationships with law firms is also important, whether you work with them regularly or only when specific issues arise. As in-house lawyers are usually very stretched, law firms can provide useful updates on developments in the law and be available for quick checks to assess whether more detailed guidance is required.