Team size: Three

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

The major concerns and difficulties of my legal team go around the IP contracts and partnerships with the rights’ holders and potential rights’ users. Even though IP rights have always been part of the business, the truth is that only recently companies have been dedicating more attention to this, especially considering this matter as a company’s activity that should be protected and monetized.

The second major subject has been the relation with the sector Regulator and the concerns that are part of its agenda. There are various matters that not only may have a severe impact in the business, but also that have a great relation with the main grants of the media activity that arise from our legal framework.

Agreements with distributors – classical tv distributors or the platforms – are always very tricky and time consuming and are part of the daily business of media companies.

Besides this, the business has been building its grounds more and more on technology and several interesting IT businesses have been developed and part of the legal teamwork.

Of course, there are some other projects that cannot be revealed but that needed a great deal of dedication, of concentration and a very close relation with the decision area of the Impresa Group.

What would you say are the unique qualities required to be successful as an in-house lawyer in your industry?

I do not think there are unique qualities, but several different ones that must be put in place while working with the media.

In fact, an in-house lawyer at media needs to deal with frequent pressure. Dealing with this requires a lot of strength and self-control. This is very important, but also very difficult. The technical know-how is very relevant but a good in-house need to have social skills that may help dealing with stress, dealing with colleagues and dealing with short deadlines (for something that is not urgent, for example).

How have you fostered a closer collaboration between the legal department and your business counterparts?

I believe it’s inevitable that legal departments will continue to have a greater impact on the strategic and executive decisions of their companies. And to put this in practice in full force it is essential a close and good relation between all the areas that are part of the company’s body. Keeping a close and open speech and a position of openness and trust is a key principle that I fight to maintain and grow. Of course this is not easy at all, especially when granting respect for legal limits may mean a constraint to the economic development of the business. The fight to be seen as a team partner instead of the enemy is a hard job but of the highest importance.

Do you have a cause, business-related or otherwise, that you are passionate about?

What allows me to feel of greatest value is everything that puts me as a personal human needs’ helper. In this company I work daily to make journalists and other workers feel represented, protected and understood. This helps the business and generates a feeling of belonging. I never felt connected to purely financial causes, instead, it is the human relations that always have made my heartbeat. And this feeling is applicable here as well – this amazing company where I work.