Major legal advisers: Addleshaw Goddard, Pinsent Mason, Wiggin Questions  

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

As a result of our efforts, the government has proposed changes to the law to prevent the abuse of the courts to stifle free speech. Anti-SLAPP laws appear for the first time in the Economic Crime Bill. We have been told that the law would not have been changed without our work. We advised on building our new distribution centre near Glasgow, the largest building project in Scotland in the last decade, due to open in 2025. We have worked with authors and colleagues at HC to enhance our diversity and inclusion work, and Elevate — our ethnic minority network — sponsored at the executive level by myself, goes from strength to strength. HC will continue to publish challenging educational, and entertaining books which contribute to a rich and diverse society. It is the mission and purpose of the legal department to support that aim.   

 As the legal landscape evolves, what steps are you taking to foster a culture of continuous learning and development within the legal team, ensuring that they are all well-equipped to address future legal complexities?  

AI – is both a threat and an opportunity. The world is changing quickly, and the only way is to be agile and adaptive and prepare a team comfortable with change and ambiguity. ‘A healthy culture for candid and challenging conversations has never been more important’, suggests Amy Edmondson, professor of leadership at Harvard. Neither the general counsel nor any one person will have all answers to the issues AI will create. We focus on creating a culture of trust and psychological safety where all colleagues feel free to speak up and contribute. We are being intentional about this by being open about tensions and challenges, insisting on input, especially from more reserved colleagues, and actively listening and appreciating messages, even if they are difficult to hear.