Team size:15

What do you think are the biggest risks facing your industry at the moment and how are you preparing your company and team to face these risks?

Counterfeit and illicit trade are the main challenges facing our industry. In 2020, 2,268 operations were carried out against the smuggling of alcoholic beverages. Illegal practices affect the government budget and public health. In 2020, the Ethyl Alcohol Regulation was amended to curb illegal production and protect the public. All online sales of ethyl alcohol were banned. In the same year, the Ethyl Alcohol Law was also amended to gain tight control over ethyl alcohol production and increase criminal sanctions. These regulatory changes have had a significant impact on our sector, enabling the increase in the sales of strip stamped legal products. During all these regulation amendments, my legal team and I have collaborated with the government and contributed to the drafting of the laws.

In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years?

The role of in-house counsel has changed to become a business partner who gets involved in strategic decisions by providing legal advice and support in navigating complex decisions. Companies will require general counsel to act as strategic thinkers and understand the business and its goals. They will be able to use technology by streamlining processes to satisfy business needs. Incorporation of technology in business practices will keep increasing — technology will ensure easy monitoring of cases and provide better tools to make risk assessments. In-house counsel will continue occupying seats in high-level discussions within the organisations. They are also expected to act as strategic business partners using a legal perspective in critical decisions. In-house counsel will have an emerging role in bringing the legal department and outside counsel together to help them understand the organisation’s goals and risk appetite.

How has the increasing consciousness of climate change and sustainability affected the company and the team’s priorities?

We have a longstanding commitment to combatting climate change and the issue of water stress. Since 2008, we have been working to decarbonise our value chain, implementing adaptation measures, and acting as champions for water stewardship worldwide. Our ambition is to be one of the best performing, and respected consumer products companies in the world. In partnership with the global sustainability team, we started our climate change risk analysis work in 2021. Within the scope of this work, we anticipate the risks that our sites and all our suppliers may face due to climate change, and we take precautions against these risks in advance. In parallel, we calculate the water scarcity rate in the regions where our factories are located and carry out water recovery projects. Additionally, we have reached our goal of using green electricity in all our sites in terms of energy.