About

Team size: 150
Major law firms used: Allen & Overy, Baker McKenzie, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Hogan Lovells, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, Norton Rose Fulbright, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Slaughter and May”

Alan Porter, GC of Prudential, has had a storied in-house career and is still offering experience and sound judgement in spades.

Porter first went in-house in 1993, joining British American Tobacco (BAT) as an assistant solicitor. He gained three years’ experience before moving to Farmers Insurance as a corporate secretary and senior corporate counsel in 1996. Porter returned to BAT twice before becoming group GC of Tesco in 2008, his first significant leadership role.

His previous experience in insurance paid off when he joined Prudential as company secretary in 2012, later being appointed group GC in 2015. His credentials see him assume notable authority at Prudential, where he reports into the group chief executive and sits in on the company’s board meetings.

In terms of making his long-term mark on the business, Porter oversaw the creation of a new head of legal operations role with Benjamin Devon, previously a risk and compliance lawyer who has been with Prudential since 2013, stepping into the position. Devon is tasked with the integration and further collaboration of the group legal, governance and secretariat teams.

Porter was also prominent as he and the UK legal team helped shape Prudential’s ten-year strategic partnership with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), agreed in 2018. The deal with TCS – a global leader in IT, business process and digital services – was touted to enhance Prudential’s service for its UK savings and retirement customers.

Other transactional highlights include Prudential’s entry into the Nigerian life insurance market in 2017. Porter offered support as Prudential acquired a majority stake in Zenith Life of Nigeria and established partnerships with Zenith Bank in Nigeria as well as in Ghana.