About

Robert Habchi began his tenure at reinsurance leader Nasco Re in 2013 and progressed quickly, being made head of legal in 2017; he now oversees a team of eleven individuals across Lebanon, France, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. He has learned the value of perseverance, having doggedly pursued a number of originally problematic objectives: ‘I have recently been involved in a very difficult negotiation with a large Turkish company from the energy sector who refused any discussions despite all valid legal argumentation brought to the table. With some perseverance, and by applying the principle of win-win, we finally reached a deal far more advantageous than what we were ready to accept. I learned from this experience that by applying the rule of win-win for both parties, we may always reach a fair compromise’. Habchi has focused on the implementation of more IT tools in the team, which has been very successful and has led to much improved efficiency. In addition, he has empowered team members to show initiative when contributing to strategy, and has re-emphasised the importance of compliance to ensure the utmost prevention of risk for the business. ‘I believe that as a legal support to our companies, we should never forget that we are first there to assist the business to grow, and not the contrary’, Habchi says. ‘This is why I believe that any legal professional should first well understand the full implications and challenges of his business to be as efficient as possible’.