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

Just two days after my last exam at the faculty of law, I started my summer internship as an in-house counsel. This internship, which was planned for two months, was extended to 6 months due to the incredible harmony we achieved with the team and the company. Although this extension delayed the start of my legal internship, it was worth it. Because this was an experience unlike any other internship I had ever had. Working in the legal department of a company operating in the FMCG industry requires you to be so dynamic and to consider the issues at hand from so many different angles that I cannot describe how exciting it was. This was precisely why I wanted to become an in-house lawyer. This process resulted in the company hiring me as a lawyer at the end of my legal internship, which I am very happy about. Finally, when you are an in-house lawyer, you have the feeling that you are one of the most important cogs in a very large organization and you embrace your work with all your heart and the energy it gives you.

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

The hardest thing about being an in-house lawyer is that you cannot say you do not know something. You are expected to have legal knowledge and be prepared for all the issues that the company deals with as an in-house lawyer. As an example, at PepsiCo, where I work now, this means being involved in a wide range of legal processes, from the planting of the potato in the field to the consumer’s consumption of our chips. Or from the first stage of beverage production to the advertisement’s text that will reach the consumer. For this reason, although it is not possible to limit our daily activities to specific topics, I can say that, within the framework of the distributions we make within the legal team, I am generally responsible for the protection of personal data, labor law, consumer law and, finally, competition law.

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

Being part of a large organisation can be both challenging and exciting. At times, you may need to modify established rules and practices to adapt to current conditions. This ability to change and improve is expected of you. In my opinion, to overcome such problems, it is best to categorise the questions and issues, break them down into smaller parts, and clearly identify the parties responsible for managing these processes. It is important to prioritise the most important and urgent issues and solve them first. As you know, time is of the essence for us and there is no such thing as free time. Any free time should be utilised to create new projects, reach new goals, or improve yourself.