About

Team size: 55
Major law firms used: BLM, Blake Morgan, Eversheds Sutherland, Hill Dickinson, Womble Bond Dickinson

Srechko Jernej Kontelj, commonly known as Stretch, is not your typical in-house legal chief. With his own Wikipedia page, Kontelj has a background in politics in his native Australia, serving as mayor of the city of Geelong between 2001 and 2002. He is a longstanding member of the Liberal Party of Australia. He holds an impressive collection of degrees, with qualifications in law, economics, accounting, commerce, business administration, applied corporate governance, arts, notarial practice and military law from the Universities of Monash, Melbourne, Victoria, Deakin and King’s College London.

In 2015, Kontelj took the group legal director role at Specsavers, relocating himself and his family to Guernsey as a result. Upon arrival, he set about overhauling the in-house legal function, reorganising the 55-strong team to better align with end customers. Given Specsavers’ structure, the legal team is a vital cog in the machine when it comes to day-to-day transactions. ‘A lot of the transactions the business does are related to our partners and people buying and selling franchises. All of that work comes through us.’

He says he has a passion for new environmental regulation that is now shaping the business, causing Specsavers to cut back on plastic packaging and improve recycling capabilities.

In terms of career advice, Kontelj insists that putting legal knowledge on the back burner sometimes can be a real benefit: ‘The last thing you want in a commercial meeting is a lawyer constantly blocking things by bringing up legal points. Think like a lawyer, but don’t act like a lawyer.’

Kontelj has won considerable plaudits from external counsel, with Eversheds Sutherland executive partner Ian Gray commenting: ‘He has a very complicated job and has to deal with thousands of joint ventures due to Specsavers’ business model. He handles himself confidently, and has totally reorganised the legal function and services the company provides in a positive way.’