About

Per Anders Vaagenes serves as the only lawyer in CGI Norge, providing legal support to the 300 employees of the company, all of whom require approval from legal on a number of issues, including submitting offers to clients, entering into and amending contracts, deviations from corporate guidelines and more. Prior to this role, Vaagenes served as a legal adviser for The Norwegian Defence Logistics organisation from 1999-2001, eventually being promoted to legal senior advisor in 2001. He then went on to serve as lawyer and partner at Dæhli & Co law firm for five years and between 2008 and 2009 he took on the role of contract manager at Accenture. He later went to serve as a lawyer at CSC Norge where he made significant changes which resulted in the legal department moving from being a “show-stopper” to being a contributor. It wasn’t until 2014 that he joined CGI as general counsel and in this capacity, Vaagenes has made a number of changes to the way the function processes projects, by initiating projects with a particular focus on contract templates, risk management and compliance to corporate guidelines. He has simplified these processes by coming up with innovative ways to compress information. He says that these have ‘resulted in a more effective process when presenting our service contracts to clients, because we do not invent the gunpowder every time. More importantly, we now have well-structured and well-specified contract templates that reduces the likelihood of loss, limits uncertainty and ambiguity, and help solve future problems. This again increases the likelihood of success not only for the company, but also for our clients’. Due to his work, the business seeks guidance more regularly and earlier than in the past, because they better understand the value of the support of the legal team. Vaagenes is part of the Norwegian leadership group and has daily contact with senior management, including the managing director. ‘My relationship is a good, open and active one. In my view, the ultimate reason for my legal services is to “serve and protect” the people and the organisation, which is a view that the management seems to appreciate’ he states.