About

Reporting to Takeda’s group general counsel in Japan, the emerging markets legal team of 30 professionals is led by Torbjörn Hallberg, vice president and general counsel emerging markets (EM). The team is represented across both regional and local management boards, and is seen as occupying a ‘unique position to connect dots within the organisation’, according to Hallberg. Organisational and cultural changes in the team have meant the recruitment of new senior leaders and counsel, whilst Takeda goes through a global transformation related to the pharmaceutical giant’s core values: integrity, fairness, perseverance and honesty. Operating in a matrix function, several initiatives in 2015 were handled including the rollout of comprehensive data privacy training and awareness, re-emphasis on anti-trust compliance programmes and a shaping of corporate governance models. The legal team has demonstrated its commercial nous in a number of ways, for example, leading Takeda’s acquisition of a selected portfolio from Neutec in Turkey, as well as supporting various corporate social responsibility initiatives. Embracing innovation through the implementation of new technology, various digital tools have been introduced to assist the team’s work, including a social networking service, contract management processes, and corporate governance systems. With technological advancement and continuing development, Hallberg believes the team is able to ‘prioritise correctly for the patient, build trust with society, reinforce Takeda’s reputation and then help the business develop’. They have been described as an ‘extraordinarily high performing legal team’ demonstrated by a high engagement level shown in a recent internal survey, but also through external award programs. Dealing with such a multi-jurisdictional remit poses challenges for the team according to the differences in the countries they cover; external factors are often mitigated by the team staying close to business partners in each region and having robust organisation so people on the ground can move quickly.