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?

We run an ongoing risk assessment process within Group Legal and the larger DNV organisation to identify and address recurring and new risks to our organisation’s resilience. For legal risks, we conduct an annual process that starts with a workshop to identify and assess the top legal risks based on their likelihood and impact. This evaluation considers our team’s experiences, business risks identified by internal stakeholders, insights from external legal advisors, and other external factors such as geopolitical risks and changing regulatory landscapes. The identified risks are then categorised for appropriate handling and reporting, and reassessed quarterly to consider any new risks or priorities. This process involves close collaboration with our internal stakeholders to address current risks and anticipate future risks that the legal team can help mitigate.

In your opinion, what are the main trends affecting your work now?

There is an increasing push within the legal team and our broader organisation to leverage AI and other technologies to work smarter and more efficiently. While this provides opportunities for new ways of working, efficiency gains, and markets, it also introduces additional challenges such as concerns around confidentiality, data privacy, cybersecurity, and trust in results.

Increasing regulatory scrutiny and evolving legal requirements demand strategic support from the legal department. This includes advising on regulatory matters, framing standards, and negotiating with international, national, and private bodies.

Many countries are tightening regulations and enforcement related to use of contingent workers, even as the industry trend leans towards their increased use. This requires the legal team to stay updated on compliance and regulatory changes and collaborate closely with the business to ensure proper governance is maintained.

Questions about the impact of the new administration, especially on renewable energy and foreign affairs, requires the legal team to work closely with internal stakeholders to assess and implement strategies to address changing policies and market conditions.

What strategic priorities are guiding your legal team into 2025?

Our strategic priorities for 2025 are closely aligned with the main trends affecting our work. Implementing legal tech tools to enhance efficiency and ensuring the legal team’s digital competence; continuing our proactive risk assessment and mitigation process; acting as a strategic business partner to identify, assess and address evolving risks, policies and market conditions; and empowering our businesspeople through training to understand operational risks, identify effective risk management strategies, and safeguard our organisation’s reputation.