Africa Teams 2018 – GC Powerlist
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Africa Teams 2018

  • Industries

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AFGRI Group Holdings

| AFGRI Group Holdings

Food, beverages and tobacco

AFGRI Group is an investment holding company that operates in the food, agriculture and financial services industry, with an interest in companies providing sustainable agriculture, food security and financial management....

Africa Finance Corporation

| Africa Finance Corporation

Financials

Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) was founded in 2007 with a capital equity base of US$1bn to facilitate private sector led infrastructure investment in Africa. With US$4.2bn in capital, the corporation...

African Banking Corporation of Zimbabwe (BANCABC)

| African Banking Corporation of Zimbabwe (BANCABC)

Financials

BancABC is part of the larger African Banking Corporation group which has been offering commercial and private banking to Southern Africa in Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe since 1957,...

Air Botswana

| Air Botswana

Transport and infrastructure

With a route network focused on key destinations in Botswana and South Africa, Air Botswana has carved out a competitive niche in the African airline market flying out of its...

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Anglo American South Africa

| Anglo American South Africa

Materials and mining

Deputy head of legal for South Africa Fiona Edmundson describes the Anglo American Group Legal South Africa team as ‘an ambitious and diverse department that continuously strives to collaborate and...

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AngloGold Ashanti – South Africa

| AngloGold Ashanti – South Africa

Materials and mining

AngloGold Ashanti was established in South Africa in May 1998, when the gold and uranium mining interests of Anglo American Corporation of South Africa were consolidated. Today, the South African...

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AngloGold Ashanti Ghana

| AngloGold Ashanti Ghana

Materials and mining

AngloGold Ashanti has 14 mines and three projects in ten countries. In Ghana, the legal department is led by head of legal services and company secretary Juliet Ofeibea Manteaw-Kutin, who...

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Arik Air

| Arik Air

Transport and infrastructure

A successor of Nigeria Airways, whose facilities it took over three years after that company’s liquidation in 2006, Arik Air has grown slowly but steadily since then. It now operates...

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Aspen Pharmacare

| Aspen Pharmacare

Healthcare

Founded in Durban, Aspen Pharmacare is a major international pharmaceutical company with a 160-year heritage in South Africa, and has been listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange for 20 years....

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AXA Mansard (Nigeria)

| AXA Mansard (Nigeria)

Financials

AXA Mansard is the Nigerian subsidiary of the large multinational insurance giant AXA Insurance, and as a combination with the National Insurance Commission of Nigeria (NAICOM) has been operating in...

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Barclays Bank Moçambique

| Barclays Bank Moçambique

Financials

Barclays Bank Moçambique provides personal and business banking services for corporate customers and individuals in Mozambique. Founded in the country in 1977, it is based in Maputo with branches across...

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Barclays Bank of Kenya

| Barclays Bank of Kenya

Financials

Barclays Bank of Kenya is a part of Absa Group, an African financial services group that is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in South Africa and is one of...

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BBOXX

| BBOXX

Energy and utilities

BBOXX, is a Solar platform company bringing machine-learning and customer experience optimisation to rural parts of Africa. Headquartered in London with nearly 600 staff across five offices in China, East...

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BMW South Africa

| BMW South Africa

Consumer products

South Africa is an important market for German multinational car company BMW, as one of a handful of locations where the company produces its luxury automobiles and motorcycles. BMW in...

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BP – Angola, South Africa and Mozambique

| BP – Angola, South Africa and Mozambique

Energy and utilities

With operations in 72 countries worldwide, BP’s presence in Southern Africa spans Angola, South Africa and Mozambique. As the world’s leading international oil and gas companies, BP provides customers in...

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CDC Group

| CDC Group

Financials

CDC is a development finance institution wholly owned by the UK government’s Department for International Development, investing in businesses in developing countries since 1948 with much of the balance sheet...

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Chevron Nigeria

| Chevron Nigeria

Energy and utilities

General counsel Lucky Nengite, leads the legal team at Chevron Nigeria (CNL) comprised of 12 lawyers and three non-lawyers. Each CNL lawyer is assigned responsibility as the primary legal contact...

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Ciel (Mauritius)

| Ciel (Mauritius)

Financials

Based in Mauritius, international investment group Ciel, operates in five business clusters; agro and property, textile, hotels and resorts, finance and healthcare and is present in more than 10 countries...

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Coca-Cola – Southern and East Africa Business Unit (SEABU)

| Coca-Cola – Southern and East Africa Business Unit (SEABU)

Food, beverages and tobacco

The Coca-Cola Company is the world’s largest beverage group with over 500 brands and 3,900 beverage varieties. Africa, as part of the Europe, Middle East and Africa division makes up...

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Coca-Cola – West Africa Business Unit (WABU)

| Coca-Cola – West Africa Business Unit (WABU)

Food, beverages and tobacco

The West Africa business unit of multinational beverage company, Coca-Cola, covers 32 countries in a region which is almost half of the continent’s land area and population. The organisation’s legal...

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Cushman & Wakefield

| Cushman & Wakefield

Industrials and real estate

Globally, Cushman & Wakefield operates 3.5 billion square feet of property and generated US$6.9bn of revenue in 2017, making it major player in the property management industry. With operations in...

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Dangote Cement

| Dangote Cement

Industrials and real estate

Dangote Cement is the largest producer of cement in Africa and the dominant player in the industry operating across 10 countries with revenues of over US$2.2bn in 2017. Spread over...

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DEG

| DEG

Financials

DEG is a development finance institution and a subsidiary of German government-owned bank, KfW Group, founded in Germany in 1962. For its 55 years of operation, DEG has been a...

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Diageo

| Diageo

Food, beverages and tobacco

Diageo produces some of the world’s most iconic drink brands and Africa makes up 12% of the multinational’s net global sales, a sizeable proportion which its legal team in the...

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Diamond Bank

| Diamond Bank

Financials

Diamond Bank began as a private limited company in 1991. Ten years later in 2001, it became a universal bank and in 2005 following a highly successful private placement share...

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Djezzy

| Djezzy

Telecommunication services

Djezzy has grown to become Algeria’s primary mobile network operator, with over 16.49 million subscribers as of November 2011 and a network spanning 90% of the population. Djezzy was a...

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East African Breweries (EABL)

| East African Breweries (EABL)

Food, beverages and tobacco

East African Breweries is a public listed company that manufactures alcoholic beers and spirits and non-alcoholic beverages in East Africa. It is the parent company of Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL),...

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ElSewedy Electric

| ElSewedy Electric

Industrials and real estate

ElSewedy Electric is a North African and Middle Eastern electricity company with eight diversified segments and a global leader in cable manufacturing and energy services including renewables. The company’s highly...

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Engen

| Engen

Energy and utilities

Fiona Gumede, general manager and company secretary, legal and security, leads a top-notch team consisting of ten lawyers, four paralegals, and two compliance specialists at Engen. The department provides legal...

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ENGIE Africa

| ENGIE Africa

Energy and utilities

With over 50 years in the continent, ENGIE Africa is active in a variety of countries through its power generation, energy services, and micro-grid/off-grid subsidiaries. The 12-member legal team in...

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Ethiopian Airlines

| Ethiopian Airlines

Transport and infrastructure

Regarded by many industry observers as the best-performing airline in Africa, Ethiopian Airlines’ success story since beginning the ambitious, 15-year “Vision 2025” expansion plan eight years ago has been remarkable....

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Etisalat Misr

| Etisalat Misr

Telecommunication services

Etisalat Misr is a subsidiary of Emirati telecommunication company Etisalat UAE, and was first launched in May 2007, soon after Etisalat announced the 3G services launch in Cairo. As the...

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ExxonMobil Nigeria

| ExxonMobil Nigeria

Energy and utilities

The in-house legal team at ExxonMobil Nigeria is made up of highly experienced and talented lawyers who operate across the ExxonMobil group affiliate companies and cover the entire realm of...

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Ezz Steel

| Ezz Steel

Materials and mining

Leading steel producer Ezz Steel is the largest steel company in Egypt, the Middle East and North Africa region. Together with its subsidiaries, it produces and sells long and flat...

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FedEx

| FedEx

Transport and infrastructure

Fedex is global shipping and logistics powerhouse and a household name in the industry across the world. Headquartered in Memphis, US, Fedex has expanded its coverage across the world in...

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First National Bank Botswana

| First National Bank Botswana

Financials

First National Bank Botswana (FNBB) was founded in 1991 as a wholly owned subsidiary of First National Bank Holdings (Botswana). Today, FNBB is the largest company on the Botswana Stock...

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FirstRand (South Africa)

| FirstRand (South Africa)

Financials

The FirstRand group is a leading financial services provider from South Africa offering a full range of banking products and services to clients in various jurisdictions across the continent. The...

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GE Africa

| GE Africa

Energy and utilities

The legal department of GE Africa is an expert force within the energy and utilities industry across Sub-Saharan Africa, with a long history of excellence across the region in the...

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Gemfields

| Gemfields

Materials and mining

Gemfields is focused on mining coloured gemstones in Africa, with its primary assets located in Zambia and Mozambique, exploration activities elsewhere in Africa and its primary listing on the JSE....

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Gold Fields

| Gold Fields

Materials and mining

Gold Fields is a globally diversified gold producer with seven operating mines in Australia, Ghana, Peru and South Africa, with a total annual gold-equivalent production of approximately 2.2 million ounces....

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HSBC Africa

| HSBC

Financials

Henk Crouse, general counsel, leads the legal team at HSBC supervising three lawyers and an assistant handling the global banking colossus’ legal affairs across Africa. The team proactively steers the...

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Huawei Nigeria

| Huawei Nigeria

Information technology

Chinese multinational, telecommunications equipment and services company Huawei has established its business in Nigeria with plans to benefit from the growing demand of mobile phone usage across Africa. With more...

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IDC – South Africa

| IDC – South Africa

Information technology

Founded in 1940 and owned by the South African government, IDC is a national development finance institution set up to promote economic growth and industrial development under the supervision of...

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IFC – International Finance Corporation

| IFC – International Finance Corporation

Financials

International Finance Corporation, the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector in developing countries, operates in 22 countries within Sub-Saharan Africa, with offices in Senegal, Kenya and...

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Imperial Holdings

| Imperial Holdings

Transport and infrastructure

Imperial Holdings is large multinational logistics and vehicle company founded in 1948 as a small car dealership in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa; it has since grown to earn R119, 517m...

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Kenya Airways

| Kenya Airways

Transport and infrastructure

History was made at Kenya Airways in October 2018 when it began the first direct flights from Kenya to the US, cutting off a significant portion of a flight which...

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Kenya Tea Development Agency Holdings (KTDA)

| Kenya Tea Development Agency Holdings (KTDA)

Food, beverages and tobacco

The legal function at KTDA, one of the largest private tea management agencies in Kenya, is led by assistant general manager of legal and regulatory affairs Susan Musyoka and currently...

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Lafarge Africa Plc (LAP)

| Lafarge Africa Plc (LAP)

Materials and mining

Twelve individuals strong and responsible for a diverse range of business units across a very large geographical area, the Lafarge Africa Plc (LAP)’s legal team has spearheaded a number of...

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Life Healthcare

| Life Healthcare

Healthcare

With operations in Southern Africa, India, Poland and a number of European countries and a JSE Top 40 listing, as well as a highly diversified healthcare portfolio for its private...

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Marsa Maroc

| Marsa Maroc

Transport and infrastructure

Marsa Maroc is the top Moroccan logistics company operating port terminals in North Africa. It operates nine terminals and oversaw the passage of 36.6 million tonnes of freight in 2016....

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Massmart Holdings

| Massmart Holdings

Food, beverages and tobacco

Massmart Holdings is a South African-centred global investment holding company with a large portfolio of consumer goods companies across Africa in retail and wholesale formats. The company is the second...

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Media General Ghana

| Media General Ghana

Sports and media

A media and communications company which owns and manages television, radio and other media entities, Media General Ghana operates some of the industry’s largest and diversified businesses and its growing...

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Medtronic

| Medtronic

Healthcare

Medtronic is a global pharmaceutical company that specialises in treating some of the world’s most difficult chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cancer and heart disease. For more than 30...

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Millicom

| Millicom

Telecommunication services

Millicom’s African presence has seen steady growth in its areas of operation. Driven by data, B2B and mobile financial services, the region delivered 10% of Millicom’s Group revenue in 2017....

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MSC – Mediterranean Shipping Company

| MSC – Mediterranean Shipping Company

Transport and infrastructure

MSC is part of the Cargo Division of the MSC Group shipping conglomerate, a global business engaged in the shipping and logistics sector specifically in trade services, dry cargo, reefer...

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MTN Group

| MTN Group

Telecommunication services

South African multinational telecommunications company MTN Group is headquartered in Johannesburg and operates in a number of African, European and Asian Countries. MTN has a recorded over 232 million subscribers...

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MultiChoice Holdings

| MultiChoice Holdings

Sports and media

Leading South African video entertainment company MultiChoice Holding operates under various brands including Dstv, M-Net, SuperSport and GOtv and was formed out of the subscriber-management branch of the M-Net Terrestrial...

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Nampower

| Nampower

Energy and utilities

NamPower is the national energy provider of Namibia with a core business in the generation, transmission and energy trading. It trades on the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP), the largest...

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Nareva Holding

| Nareva Holding

Energy and utilities

Nareva Holding is a major electricity company in Morocco, wholly owned by SNI, the Société Nationale d’Investissement, an investment company owned by the Moroccan Royal Family, and one of the...

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Naspers

| Naspers

Sports and media

Naspers is a global internet and entertainment group founded in 1915. It operates in more than 120 counties and is considered one of the largest technology investors in the world....

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National Bank of Egypt

| National Bank of Egypt

Financials

The National Bank of Egypt is the largest financial platform in Egypt and one of the largest in Africa and the Middle East. Its in-house legal team manages deals worth...

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Nestlé Nigeria

| Nestlé Nigeria

Food, beverages and tobacco

Nestlé Nigeria is part of Nestlé’s Central and West African division of the Swiss multinational food and beverage company. Operating as the hub for Central and West Africa, Nestlé Nigeria...

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Netcare

| Netcare

Healthcare

Netcare Group is a holding company that operates as South Africa’s largest healthcare provider. It runs the largest private hospital in South Africa, as well as a whole range of...

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Nigerian Bottling Company

| Nigerian Bottling Company

Food, beverages and tobacco

The in-house legal team at the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) consists of five highly skilled lawyers led by Sade Morgan, legal, public affairs and communications director, a seasoned lawyer who...

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Nigerian Stock Exchange

| Nigerian Stock Exchange

Financials

Founded in 1960, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) services the largest economy in Africa and is an automated exchange providing listing and trading services, as well as electronic clearing, settlement...

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Novartis

| Novartis

Healthcare

Novartis is a global name in the healthcare industry, producing and marketing drugs and therapies and providing expert healthcare consulting and other services across the world. Vivian N. Osayande, head...

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Oando

| Oando

Energy and utilities

The expert in-house legal department at Oando, made up of ten lawyers and an insurance advisor, is led by chief legal officer Ngozi Janice Okonkwo, who also oversees an insurance...

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Orange Egypt

| Orange Egypt

Telecommunication services

As the first mobile network operator in Egypt, founded in 1998, Orange provides voice and data exchange services, as well as 4G, 3G and broadband internet. The legal team lead...

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Pfizer

| Pfizer

Healthcare

‘The North and West Africa legal department is a small team known to be business-oriented and with the ability to effectively balance business interests against mitigating potential legal risks while...

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Pioneer Foods

| Pioneer Foods

Consumer products

Pioneer Foods is one of the largest fast moving consumer goods companies in Southern Africa, with a presence across South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Nigeria. It is a major institution...

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Procter & Gamble (P&G) – Sub-Saharan Africa

| Procter & Gamble (P&G) – Sub-Saharan Africa

Consumer products

The expert and highly professional in-house legal team at the Sub-Saharan Africa global business unit of Procter & Gamble (P&G) delivers top quality advice on all commercial, corporate and regulatory...

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Proparco

| Proparco

Financials

Proparco is the private sector financing arm of France’s inclusive public development bank, Agence Française de Développement (AFD). For over 40 years Proparco has supported development in Southern African countries...

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Rand Water

| Rand Water

Energy and utilities

Water utility company Rand Water operates with the simple vision of being an industry leader and partner of choice in sustainable bulk water services. It supplies potable water to the...

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Rendeavour (Nigeria)

| Rendeavour (Nigeria)

Industrials and real estate

As Africa’s largest urban land developer, Rendeavour has over 12,000 hectares of visionary projects in the structural growth trajectories of the main cities in Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia and Democratic...

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RioZim

| RioZim

Materials and mining

Incorporated in 1956, RioZim was set up initially to develop and mine the Empress Nickel deposit in the Midlands, and was the first mining operation to be set up outside...

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RMB

| RMB

Financials

A division of FirstRand Bank, Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) is a leading African corporate and investment bank and one of the largest financial services groups in Africa. Featured in the...

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Royal Air Maroc

| Royal Air Maroc

Transport and infrastructure

The Royal Air Maroc legal team has had a hand in all of Royal Air Maroc (RAM)’s success in recent months, displaying time and again its expertise in some highly...

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Sanlam

| Sanlam

Financials

South African financial services group Sanlam is headquartered in Bellville, Western Cape and is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and the Namibian Stock Exchange, boasting an extensive African footprint...

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Sanofi

| Sanofi

Healthcare

With over 79 sites in 36 countries, Sanofi is a powerful player in the global pharmaceutical industry. The company distributes medicines and therapies to over 170 countries, covering vaccines, diabetes,...

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Sappi

| Sappi

Materials and mining

Maarten van Hoven leads the legal function of Sappi, having joined the company in 2011, and takes on significant senior management responsibilities in addition to this – providing a tangible...

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Sasol

| Sasol

Materials and mining

Sasol is an integrated energy and chemical company formed in South Africa in 1950. Today it is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and develops and commercialises technologies, including synthetic...

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SEACOM

| SEACOM

Telecommunication services

SEACOM is a privately owned and operated pan-African ICT enabler, originally envisioned by a group of African investors in 2007 who wanted to offer a best-in-class international network. Head of...

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SHI-MCI FZE (a subsidiary of Samsung Heavy Industries Nigeria)

| SHI-MCI FZE (a subsidiary of Samsung Heavy Industries Nigeria)

Industrials and real estate

Oil and gas EPC company SHI-MCI FZE offers the largest fabrication and integration facilities in Africa. Equipped with unparalleled technologies and cutting-edge facilities, the company is on the way to...

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Sonangol EP

| Sonangol

Energy and utilities

State-owned enterprise Sonangol EP is dedicated to the marketing of crude oil and products with a commitment to provide high quality services that meet the highest standards of performance and...

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Sonatrach

| Sonatrach

Energy and utilities

The Algerian government-owned company Sonatrach is an important part of the Algerian economy, taking advantage of the country’s rich hydrocarbon resources and experience in oil and gas refining. The in-house...

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South African Airways

| South African Airways

Transport and infrastructure

Currently headed by acting chief legal officer Mpati Qofa, the South African Airways legal team is renowned as one of the very best in-house legal teams operating in the aviation...

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South African Breweries

| South African Airways

Food, beverages and tobacco

South African Breweries’ legal team was instrumental in what was undoubtedly the most important strategic development for the company in recent years which saw it combine businesses with global competitor...

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Stanbic Bank KENYA

| Stanbic Bank KENYA

Financials

Stanbic Bank Kenya is a major Kenyan and East African full service banking institution and one of the most important banks in the region. The bank benefits from the expertise...

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Standard Chartered Bank Kenya

| Standard Chartered

Financials

The highly accomplished and industry leading legal team at Standard Chartered Bank East Africa is led by Patricia Nyokabi Mbugua, regional head of legal, global banking and commercial banking. The...

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Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria

| Standard Chartered

Financials

Standard Chartered’s presence in Nigeria dates back to the early 1960’s where it had major stakes in various iterations of Standard Chartered Nigeria, and the First Bank of Nigeria, but...

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Thales

| Thales

Transport and infrastructure

October 2018 saw a major success for the Thales Africa legal team, as it successfully negotiated approval with South Africa’s Competition Commission for the long-anticipated €4.65bn acquisition by the company...

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Tiger Brands

| Tiger Brands

Food, beverages and tobacco

Tiger Brands is a major South African based global fast moving consumer goods company. Founded in 1921 and formerly named Tiger Oats, the company has manufacturing centres in Nigeria, Cameroon,...

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Total South Africa

| Total South Africa

Energy and utilities

Since 1954, Total South Africa has become a major presence in the energy provision industry in South Africa, as it has across the globe, having 510 service stations across the...

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Trans Tunisian Pipeline Company

| Trans Tunisian Pipeline Company

Energy and utilities

Since the initial agreement between Italian energy giant ENI and the Tunisian government in 1977 and the opening of the joint pipeline in 1983, the Trans Tunisian Pipeline Company has...

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Tullow Oil

| Tullow Oil

Energy and utilities

Tullow Oil is a major independent African oil company operating in Ghana and other parts of West Africa, East Africa, Pakistan, Brazil and the UK with its headquarters in London,...

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Consumer products

The Unilever Ghana-Nigeria cluster legal department operates a business partnering model comprising of six lawyers and one non-lawyer embedded within different business divisions under the supervision of Abidemi Ademola, the...

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Consumer products

Starting its operations in the country in 1891, Unilever has offices and manufacturing locations across South Africa. Its South African legal team is overseen by general counsel Africa, Kim Morgan-Verlaque...

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Unitel

| Unitel

Telecommunication services

Unitel is Angola’s largest mobile phone, internet broadband and telecommunications provider. It was founded in 2001 and is seen as a major success story in the country’s recent economic development....

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Vodacom

| Vodacom

Telecommunication services

Vodacom is a household name in the telecoms industry across Sub-Saharan Africa, and is a leading African communications company operating in South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of...

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Woolworths

| Woolworths

Consumer products

Woolworths has been an institution in the South African retail market since the 1930’s, and has a large market share within South Africa as part of its global footprint. The...

As the world’s second largest continent by land mass and population, Africa is highly diverse and has therefore experienced differing levels of economic growth within its constituent nations over the past 12 months. Looking at some of the major African economies, Kenya and Egypt have demonstrated impressive recent growth as a result of a services boom and structural and policy reforms respectively. Conversely, South Africa and Nigeria have shown much slower rates in growth over the last year, in part due political uncertainty and a general slowdown in investment.

The impact of these varying levels of growth has meant that businesses operating in the African continent, particularly multinational companies,
are presented with a diverse set of challenges. Fortunately, Africa is blessed with highly talented and experienced in-house legal teams who can seamlessly assist their respective businesses in adapting to the latest economic realities and opportunities. Whether responding to legislative and regulatory changes or devising strategies that enable their business to remain profitable, in-house legal teams in Africa remain key to delivering innovative legal solutions to complex business issues.

In this year’s GC Powerlist: Africa Teams we are pleased to highlight some of the continent’s leading in-house legal teams. To compile this list, we canvassed opinions from both law firm partners and in-house counsel in the region. We identified the most impressive legal departments operating in Africa who have utilised their legal knowledge strategically alongside business insight to make a positive impact towards their organisation’s success.

DLA Piper

DLA Piper logo

DLA Piper is delighted to once more sponsor the GC Powerlist Africa Teams. It is a benchmark for excellence and it plays a critical role in recognising the general counsels and their teams that are driving the African legal profession forward. We congratulate you for being featured on the list for 2018.

In the last 12 months Africa has not stood still. Whether it be in terms of new political leaders, shifts in macro-economics, or changes in legislation, all of these impact the way that businesses operate. What impacts on business inevitably also impacts on your role. Navigating these changes still need the more traditional, reactive side to the role, but increasingly you are becoming strategic business advisors.

What this means today is that you are expected to provide businesses with commercially driven solutions, contribute to business strategy, support leadership in the execution of business plans, ask tough questions, be an ethical sounding board, and promote good governance and compliance throughout the business. Many of you are facing mountainous workloads as you take on a more pro-active, guardian-esque role on behalf of your organisation’s leadership, and this requires a very practical, pragmatic approach to the tasks that cross your desk. At the core, this could not have been done without the support from general counsel, legal departments and in-house counsel that not only help in delivering on business expectations, but also act as a sounding board behind the scenes.
Maintaining a constant watch on the changes happening in country, and across the continent, is a real challenge. You are expected to assess the potential business implications, then present valuable insights to your boards and leaderships, revealing the possible scenarios, and making recommendations as to the best way forward for the business. As trusted advisors to your CEOs you are having to make quick strategic decisions daily that often have significant implications for the business. When the business wants an answer, it is you that must assess the risks, and question whether the business can survive the consequences of the recommendation you make, and then you have to stand by your call.

You can only do this if you can trust the advice you have been given, as advisors that means we need to understand your business, ensure our information is relevant, gives perspective, is legally sound, is on time, and, of course, stays within budget! We also know that you do not have time to read volumes of information, so advice needs to be not only on point but succinct. As external counsels we need to step up and ask how we can help you. We also need to make sure that we keep on reminding you ahead of time that you need to give the necessary feedback, documents, or briefs, because your focus is split on a hundred different things.

Whilst we are seeing leapfrogging technologies being pioneered in the business world in Africa, for example mobile money payment systems and micro grid battery storage technology we are also seeing it impact the legal profession. Over the last decade technological developments in the legal sector have resulted in Artificial Intelligence (AI) based dispute resolution tools such as e-discovery, technology assisted review (TAR), online dispute resolution, and the advent of smart contracts among others. Today, the development of and incorporation of automation, and AI-based technologies into a business, whether in-house, or through external legal support. Not only is this enabling greater efficiencies and time savings but is changing the very way we approach and deliver our work.

By embracing the efficiencies offered by technology, you are able to free up more of your valuable time for strategic pursuits. This will enable ever further contributions to your organisations and the enhancement of your roles and positions as leaders and trusted advisor to your boards, and chief executives. Those legal teams that are making the best use of these technologies are already featuring on the GC Powerlist and in the years to come we can expect this trend to continue.

Congratulations once again for being recognised as the leading legal teams in Africa!

Jones Day Hong Kong Roundtable 2024

The Legal 500 was thrilled to join a selection of top Jones Day partners and a hand-picked group of 15 the most prominent GCs in Hong Kong for a freewheeling and no-holds-barred discussion on geopolitical risk management at a time of global transition. Steve Brogan, managing partner of Jones Day from 2002-2022 flew over to lend his considerable expertise to the discussion, as did Partner-in-Charge Hong Kong Joelle Lau. Joining them to give expert briefings on the topics of the day were partners Peter Wang, Dr Qiang Xue, James Fidler, Samuel Ngo and Charles Chau. The conversation moved from sanctions and counter sanctions, to the increasing pre-eminence of the Asian economy, to the philosophy of the rule of law in times of crisis.