Could you share with us the story of your path to becoming an in-house counsel? What motivated you to choose this career path?

Before starting to work at Obilet, I had gained valuable experience in top-tier law firms. However, while working at law firms, due to the natural necessity of acting upon the final instructions of clients, you do not often get the opportunity to observe the basis on which a company or individual determines their legal decision-making strategy. Often, I found myself documenting decisions already made by clients rather than actively participating in the strategic planning process.

Therefore, my primary motivation for pursuing an in-house position stemmed from a desire to closely observe multifaceted factors influencing the decision-making strategies while at the same time actively contribute to these strategies. At Obilet, the legal matters and projects are handled under the strategy department of the company, providing me with the unique opportunity to be directly involved in shaping the company’s legal strategies. In other words, working directly under the company’s chief strategy officer and maintaining regular and close communication with the company’s senior management allows me to actively engage in and influence decision-making processes.

In your role as an in-house counsel, what are the main responsibilities and tasks you handle on a day-to-day basis?

Mainly, my daily responsibilities encompass overseeing all legal matters pertaining to the company. This includes personally managing issues directly related to our core business operations. I actively attend meetings where the company requires legal representation, conduct regular health-checks to ensure sector-specific compliance, and provide draft correspondence and documentation to the company management on matters reflecting the company’s legal and official opinion, actions and approach. For instance, I played a pivotal role in competition law processes well known to the public involving the company.

Furthermore, I engage with and coordinate the external legal advisers when their expertise is required, ensuring effective collaboration. Additionally, I am also involved in legal tasks in line with international expansion goals of the company, closely cooperating with external legal advisors, service providers, and stakeholders abroad.

By effectively managing these responsibilities, I contribute to safeguarding the legal interests and strategic objectives of Obilet.

What are some of the key challenges you have faced as a rising star in-house counsel, and how have you overcome them?

As the first and sole in-house legal counsel of the company for over a year, I encountered several significant challenges in establishing an efficient legal workflow system within the company and coordinating with external legal advisors. Additionally, actively participating in the shortlisting, interviewing, and onboarding process of our junior legal counsel, whom I will work with as a team member, was another significant challenge. This effort required the utilisation and improvement of my soft skills to ensure a smooth transition and effective collaboration within our legal team.

I believe that I successfully addressed these challenges. The establishment of a highly motivated and collaborative work environment within our department, coupled with effective communication and coordination with my colleague, has significantly contributed to overcoming these obstacles.