What has been the number one challenge that has impacted you over the past year?

My role has expanded, at the beginning of the year, including responsibilities for the MENAT countries. This has required working closely with the operation team on mobility legal matters when there is no handover. A general counsel must be a strategic risk partner who can contribute to the conversation on all aspects of operations and strategy. Lawyers are trained to think differently from CFOs and operations colleagues — this adds value to the discussion through the diversity of thoughts and approaches to situations.

In your opinion, what areas should in-house lawyers focus on over the next few years to prove value to their organisations in Türkiye?

Internal lawyers should focus on digitalisation and self-awareness.

In-house counsel should bring potential solutions, identify the associated risks, and find the best solutions to move the business forward. Counsel should support the company in its decisions and subsequent outcomes.

Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?

Law and regulations change a lot in Türkiye since it is a volatile market, there can be amendments in law every day, and we should guarantee that our staff is knowledgeable regarding the said law and regulation amendments. Therefore, we have created our internal programme and started using Google Forms to provide tailored training to our employees.