Team size: 16
Major legal advisers: Linklaters, Mayer Brown, Osborne Clarke
 

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?  

In March 2022, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) commenced an investigation into the participation of Mitie and a third-party joint venture partner in the procurement processes, run by the Home Office for contracts to supply services at two immigration centres. The legal team was responsible for Mitie’s response, co-ordinating activities during an initial ‘Dawn Raid’, and developing Mitie’s strategy. This included leading an internal investigation into the matters which were being investigated, and co-ordinating communications to the market and key stakeholders. In February 2023, the CMA announced that it had reached a decision to close the investigation on the basis that there were no grounds for action. We understand this is one of a few cases where this outcome was reached.
 

What do you see as an opportunity or risk over the next six months? 

Mitie’s commitment to ESG underpins everything we do, from how we deliver for clients, to supporting our colleagues and protecting both people and planet by prioritising sustainability. I oversee Mitie’s Sustainability and Social Value team who are responsible for realising Mitie’s industry-leading ‘Plan Zero’ initiative. This commits us to achieving net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2025, and net-zero Scope 3 emissions by 2035. In addition to our commitments, as an organisation we aspire to be the leading provider of sustainability solutions. Over the next six months we will be seeking to consolidate our position in this space through M&A activity in the sustainable energy and decarbonisation sector. We are fortunate to have M&A experienced members on the team and as a result, we lead M&A activity across the organisation from the initial stage to completion.
 

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? 

As a major UK employer, it is essential we have efficient and cost-effective processes in place to deal with employment law matters. Historically, a significant proportion of employee disputes and litigation were handled in-house. Our typical spend on employment litigation was £750k per annum with a usual claim volume of 150 per year. As the organisation grew, it became apparent that this approach was not suitable long-term, so working with Dentons Helix, we developed an innovative technological solution to streamline the end-to-end delivery of aggregated legal work. Since the launch of the service, we have seen significant benefits and opportunities. The infrastructure we developed, and the data-driven approach allows for streamlined delivery of claims and future improvements in the time taken to deliver claims, as well as ensuring consistency across all claims.