What are the most significant cases, projects or transactions that you and your legal team have recently been involved in?

Fiskars Group has two very different business areas: Fiskars, which includes outdoor, gardening, cooking and hobby tools under the Fiskars and Gerber brands; and Vita, interior goods such as tableware, glassware, homeware and jewelry under iconic brands such as Wedgwood, Waterford, Royal Copenhagen, Georg Jensen, Iittala, MoominArabia and others. The group is now going through a publicly announced restructuring to make each business area a separate profit center under a holding company. In Japan, and other APAC markets, this has created substantial work for Legal, as has the integration of our newest acquisition, Georg Jensen, which has a strong presence in APAC. Our Japan business is going through a restructuring as a result of these two projects and Legal is deeply involved in both, while providing continued support to the day-to-day business.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

Fiskars Group is my third in-house role where the business has faced significant challenges, so I rely on my years of experience to first assess a new situation or request and then plan how to handle it. As solo legal counsel for the region, there have been many times when I have experienced an issue in one market that then pops up in another and so can grasp situations quickly and respond. Key factors in addressing crises are not to panic or consider them unsurmountable. A proper assessment is key, as is knowing when outside counsel is needed. I often come to understand that many concerns do not include legal factors, but my years as in-house counsel have taught me to provide advice on how business colleagues can handle the situation. Also, we have a small but highly skilled global legal team in the Fiskars Group, so I know that I can always approach colleagues in other regions for advice and guidance.

What strategies do you employ to ensure the successful digital transformation of a legal department while maintaining compliance with your country’s data protection laws?

Fiskars Group has its headquarters in Finland and so has a strong data protection culture that runs through all our companies, regardless of country or region. We have a global data privacy and cyber security team that meets regularly and includes members from Legal, IT and other functions. We have global processes to assess potential collection, use and sharing of personal information that must be completed before such activity. Given the rise of AI in business, we have also implemented an AI use policy and assessment process. The Legal function has also been working on digitising and streamlining our contracting process — from templating to negotiation to storage.

Have you had any experiences during your career as a lawyer that stand out as particularly unique or interesting?  

For close to twenty years, I have been solo in-house counsel for most or all of the APAC region for three very different businesses: a B2B technology company that sold digital printing systems; a B2C technology company that sold smartphones; and now a B2C interior and outdoor goods company. What these experiences have taught me is that while the products have been so different, many of the legal issues that arise are similar. Further, many of the requests for assistance or guidance I get do not involve purely (or even remotely) legal matters. This variety of industries and inquiries are what have kept me curious and refreshed every day.