How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?  

In times of instability, maintaining objectivity and providing practical (vs textbook) solutions builds trust with the business. This provides an opportunity for the legal department to demonstrate strong leadership, guiding the organisation with effective risk mitigation strategies while demonstrating empathy. 

The legal department performs the role of a business enabler. Therefore, the legal strategy is informed by the business strategy and objectives. This ensures that legal can effectively support the business in achieving its goals. This alignment enables legal to anticipate business needs and deliver tailored legal solutions that address the organisation’s needs. 

What are the main cases or transactions you have been involved in recently?  

I have led my organisation’s major restructuring process, which amalgamated various business functions and established a new framework for more efficient operations with streamlined resources. My team has deployed several digital solutions aimed at streamlining and automating routine tasks.  

What strategies do you employ to ensure the successful digital transformation of a legal department while maintaining compliance with South Africa’s data protection laws?  

Before deploying any digital solutions, I ensure that a legal evaluation is conducted to identify potential risks concerning applicable laws and establish proper mitigation strategies. This assessment is continuous to account for any legislative changes that could affect the digital transformation tools. The success of any digital tool depends on complete buy-in from all stakeholders. Therefore, I ensure that the entire business is brought along on the digital transformation journey through training sessions and relevant resources. 

How do you prioritise diversity and inclusion within your legal department, and what initiatives have you implemented to foster a more inclusive and equitable work environment?  

I am a member of the global Healthcare Businesswomen Association and part of a team advocating for diversity and inclusion in the workplace. This has heightened my level of awareness on diversity and how small changes can foster inclusivity. I have implemented “meeting equity” in my team. Running inclusive meetings encourages more diversity of thought within the team and encourages participants to contribute more. This leads to a deeper range of ideas and discussion within the team. I am also part of the neurodiversity team which is responsible for driving awareness on neurodiversity in the workplace with the aim of getting our organisation accredited as neuroinclusive. In addition to encouraging innovative ideas, this will help drive business outcomes. I prioritise diversity in my recruitment decisions and in the procurement of external legal services. I run a legal internship programme that places law graduates within the legal department. Whilst developing their legal skills and preparing them for the job market, this initiative fosters diversity and inclusivity of young people in the workplace.