Agenda

Monday 24 April

8:15am – Registration

9:10am – Welcome (Syon 2 + 3)
Welcome from David Burgess, publishing director, The Legal 500.

9:20am – Why we’re wrong about nearly everything (Syon 2 + 3)
Utilising research from across 40 countries, we will show why no matter how educated you are, you are usually wrong about almost everything! And further to this, why armed with this, we need to re-examine how we traditionally think and act.

Speakers
Prof Bobby Duffy, Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Policy Institute, King’s College London

10:20am – The general counsel has to do more with less – really? (Syon 2 + 3)
All the evidence shows that in-house depts know they will spend more in 2023, and the size of in-house teams grows year on year. What are the real budget challenges? Where are the true pressure points? The Legal 500 has surveyed in-house lawyers across the UK, and using this data, we look at the practice areas where growth is expected, and where demand is expected to slow and discuss with our panel.

10:50am – Coffee break

11:10am – Breakout sessions

Changemakers 1: Risky business: being better equipped for a riskier world (Dukes)

The Art of Legal Project Management: Eliminating Failure from the Equation (A.K.A. The Land of Doomed Projects: How to avoid a one-way trip) (Empire)

Generalist v. Specialist (Syon 1)

12:00pm – AI as a catalyst for legaltech innovation and experience (Syon 2 + 3)
What do we mean when we say, “artificial intelligence” and, up till now, what challenges have typically been overcome by solutions with an AI element?​ Why has ChatGPT been such a hit and what can the legal technology providers learn from this success? How is AI already working to connect legal technology solutions – such as contract lifecycle management – to deliver more value? Where do you see the next logical area of innovation for AI to support legal professionals?

Speakers
Alistair Maiden, CEO, SYKE
Kriti Sharma, Head of Product, LegalTech, Thomson Reuters

12:30pm – What’s wrong with the billable hour (Syon 2 + 3)
The narrative is that in-house are unsophisticated for continuing to pay by the hour – yet most do it. Why do clients do it? Is it in fact that no one has really cracked AFAs or value in the legal supply chain. Epiq lead a discussion that looks at ways of budgeting and how you can be smarter with your cost base

Speakers
Nicholas Pouyiouros, Senior Legal Operations Consultant, Legal Business Advisory Group, Epiq
Laura Farnworth, General Counsel and Company Secretary, Atom Bank
Mitzi Berberi, Chief Legal Officer, Kiwi.com
Georgina Stanley, UK Editor, The Legal 500

1:00pm – Lunch

2:00pm – Supercharge Your Legal Team with AI: Automate Processes, Save Cost and Drive Business Growth

Legal process automation technology is fast becoming a critical component for in-house legal teams as they look to maximise their departments’ resources in a challenging and uncertain economic climate. Join leading AI company, Luminance, for an exploration of how AI can be used to supercharge legal teams by automating processes, streamlining operations, and empowering non-legal functions.

Speakers
Jaeger Glucina, Chief of Staff, Luminance
Connagh McCormick, Global General Counsel, proSapient

2:30pm – Roundtables and breakout sessions

Increasing Efficiency, Maintaining Compliance and Surfacing Opportunity with an AI-Powered Legal Team (Empire)

Exploring practical applications of AI for in-house lawyers (Dukes)

The Consumer & Regulatory spotlight on sustainability & greenwashing: risk and opportunity (Syon 1)

3:20pm – Coffee break

3:40pm – Legal Excellence Pioneers: Gemba Walk (Syon 2 + 3)
Attendees at EGC 2023 will be part of the UK’s first ever legal “gemba walk”, with two specially chosen legal pioneers (Kantar and E.ON). The pioneers will talk through the threats and opportunities their companies are facing, the team dynamics and then focus on one initiative that really makes them a pioneer. They will then share with the attendees a priority for their function and the attendees will help support them by sharing what’s worked and not worked for them. We will create an immersive environment that will make the attendees feel like they are walking the floor of the organisations in question.

Moderated by
Mo Zain Ajaz, Chief Executive, LEx360

Speakers
Kirin Kalsi, Director of UK Legal, Compliance and Data Protection, E.ON UK
Nilema Bhakta-Jones, Group General Counsel, Kantar
Ameen Ali, Legal Director, Commercial, Kantar

5:25pm – Closing remarks (Syon 2 + 3)

5:30pm – End of Monday’s sessions

6:30pm – Meet in lobby

6:45pm – Drinks reception at Syon House

7:30pm – Gala dinner at the Great Conservatory

10:30pm – Event concludes

Tuesday 25 April

9:00am – Opening remarks (Syon 2 + 3)
Opening remarks from David Burgess, publishing director, The Legal 500

9:10am – Reputation and the general counsel (Syon 2 + 3)
Embracing a more holistic view of the General Counsel role by using an understanding of your organisation’s reputation and purpose.

Keynote speaker
Daisy Powell-Chandler, Director and host of the reputation podcast “Why Everybody Hates You”, Public First

10:10am – Changemakers 2: The future is AI, but is it all plain sailing?

In this session KPMG Law convenes market leading experts to discuss the ethical, data, cyber and other risks posed by the dramatic rise of AI and Large Language Models. As a GC, your organisation will be facing to these risks and challenges. In this session, we help you to understand the implications of this new phenomenon.

Discussion led by
Nicola Brooks, Managing Director, Legal Operations Transformation Services, KPMG Law
Celia Moore Professor of Organisational Behaviour in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, Imperial College Business School
Paul Henninger, Partner, Head of UK Connected Technology & Global Lighthouse, KPMG
Matthew Roach, Head of i-4 Cyber Security Leaders Community, KPMG

11:00am – Coffee break

11:20am – Reputation and the general counsel (part 2) (Syon 2 + 3)
Our panel of GCs discuss the points raised in this morning’s keynote discussion, looking at where the reputational issues within a company lie, and whether the traditional role of ethical gatekeeper is still the GCs role.

Speakers
Paula Alessandro, Founder, Inhouse Collective
Sharmin Takin, Head of Legal, UK Debt Management Office
Anna Suchopar, General counsel and company secretary, ASOS
Sara Maggi, Research Analyst, The Legal 500
Elena Lewis, Research Analyst, The Legal 500

11:50am – Are in-house doing enough to move the dial on DE&I and wellbeing (Syon 2 + 3)
Are reporting mechanisms for DE&I helping drive change among in-house teams and their firms? How can individuals do more to make legal a more inclusive industry? How do we avoid burn out at every level? DE&I isn’t just about representation, it’s about work allocation. How can you be more proactive in this space?

Discussion led by
Kelly Thomson Partner and ESG Strategic Lead RPC
Joy Van Cooten, Associate General Counsel, ACI Worldwide
Neil Harrison, General Counsel, Aviva
Mandy Kaur, Legal Director, Pizza Express
Charlie Beasley, Consultant, Egon Zehnder

12:30pm – Lunch

1:40pm – If you think millennials are a challenge, get a load of Gen Z (Syon 2 + 3)
For the first time in modern history, there are four separate generations co-mingling in the workplace: baby boomers, Gen X, millennials and Gen Z. While generational stereotypes are by definition broad and certainly don’t encompass every individual, there are prevailing mindsets in each generation, shaped by their early careers and the workplace culture that came before them. Are the generations (Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z) really that different? Are ways of motivating individuals and teams changing, and what can we learn from each other?

Discussion led by
Laura Field, Managing Director, SSQ
Terra Potter, General Counsel for EMEA/AP & Industrial, Hexcel Corporation
Akil Hunte, Chair, NRG Lawyers
Elizabeth Barrett, General Counsel, Howden UK&I, Howden Insurance

2:10pm – Crisis management 2: The Horror Continues… (Syon 2 + 3)
Last year we heard some incredible stories from GCs at the frontline of recent crises. We return this year with yet more stories of how legal departments have dealt with unexpected situations, and what they have learnt from their experiences

Speakers include
Simon Cliff, General Counsel, City Football Group
Kate Tyers, General Counsel/Head of Legal/Legal Director
Nathalie Tidman, Editor, Legal Business

2:45pm – Group Therapy (Syon 2 + 3)
Sharing experiences is important, as is learning from our conversations with each other. In this open session, we will draw on some of the learnings from the conference and allow everyone the chance to get involved. We will start the session with a GC panel answering a question, but as each new subject/topic/question is asked, that person will join the panel and one will vacate. It’s a chance to question yourselves, each other and the whole industry. For example, we might kick off with – training and professional development in remote organisations – what to expect from your own and suppliers, and what you can do to ensure quality remains – those that have views from the audience get to join an ever changing panel.

Moderators
David Burgess, Publishing Director, The Legal 500
Mo Zain Ajaz, Chief Executive, LEx360

3:20pm – Closing remarks (Syon 2 + 3)

Speaker
David Burgess, Publishing Director, The Legal 500