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

Most recently, the Trump administration’s tariff announcements led to many open questions on the business side, so Legal had to analyse the rapidly changing situation, provide status updates, advice, and finally recommendations on the way forward. We have worked closely with various functions in the global team, especially in Asia and North America, not only on the sales side but also with Finance, Procurement and R&D. We have also been proactive in finding solutions to mitigate potential impacts in the future.

We have also introduced a global whistleblowing system to strengthen our ethics and overall compliance and have been working towards a settlement in a long-standing IP litigation, which we hope to conclude in the future.

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

I am not a fan of rash decisions and ad hoc solutions, even though I realise that, as an in-house lawyer, risk-based decision-making is part of the role. As leaders, it is our responsibility to keep a cool head and work steadily towards a goal that is beneficial for the organisation, despite rising pressure from the business side. It is also our responsibility to demonstrate this behaviour to our staff and team members, as they will look for guidance, stability, and reliability in trying times. Last but not least, I believe that proactive collaboration with other functions certainly helps in finding solutions and keeping the boat steady.

Given the current geopolitical shifts and growing uncertainties around international free trade, has your company’s risk profile evolved, and are you taking measures to address these challenges?

The company has been taking active measures to mitigate the risks associated with international free trade. A diversified portfolio and production bases, supply chain optimisation, and warehousing are just some of the areas that have been addressed recently. Of course, all these matters are handled by various teams, but because our group operates globally in a matrix organisation, each function can tackle the problems swiftly and directly where they arise. Legal has been involved on various fronts—whether reviewing agreements connected with manufacturing, or conducting analyses regarding customs-related issues.

How does your team contribute to the overall business strategy of the company? Can you share an example of a recent legal-led initiative that had a significant impact?

Legal at KOKI consists of Legal, Compliance, and Sustainability. Especially in the latter two functions, we have started various initiatives with an impact on the whole group. We have revamped our whistleblowing efforts from local solutions to a global system, providing the same user interface and lines of communication for everyone. To ensure we reach all employees, we have not only made internal announcements via newsletters but also provided training at our manufacturing bases and put up posters with QR codes for team members without PC access, to make sure that every voice can be heard. Since whistleblowing is generally considered part of ESG efforts, we were also able to enhance our sustainability and ESG programme. The sustainability team has also launched various initiatives in the areas of climate risk, carbon footprint, and the circular economy, emphasising the overall importance of sustainability matters within KOKI Group and thereby shaping the future of the organisation.