What are the key projects that you have been involved in over the past 12 months?

Competitive Capabilities International (CCI) is the global leader in business performance improvement. Founded in 1987, we combine tech-enabled software solutions with deep consulting sector expertise and a performance-driven culture to enable the world’s leading supply chains to drive and sustain operational excellence. We have codified over 35 years of operational excellence experience working with some of the world’s most iconic brands. CCI’s footprint spans more than 75 countries and over 3,000 operations across the globe.  

I serve as General Counsel for CCI, reporting directly to the President and CEO based in Texas, US, and I am responsible for all legal aspects of the company’s global operations. My role spans advising and negotiating commercial agreements across the CCI Group, overseeing litigation and dispute resolution, managing intellectual property, employment matters, and global corporate governance, as well as providing strategic legal and corporate advice. I lead the legal function with a focus on enabling business growth while managing risk, supporting major transactions, building legal infrastructure, and embedding a strong compliance framework aligned with CCI’s values and objectives. I also serve as Corporate Secretary and as Director. 

The most significant projects that I have advised CCI on over the past twelve months include significant new sales transactions with customers in the technology and food and beverage sectors across the US, EMEA, and APJ. CCI has led on all of these legal negotiations and transactions, ensuring mutually beneficial outcomes for all parties. I have also led the legal aspects of significant corporate restructuring projects focused on corporate governance and intellectual property management across the US, China, Australia, UK, and Ireland. I have also been heavily involved in facilitating M&A preparedness activities focused on future investment and growth.

I developed and established CCI’s Global Business Conduct Code and a complementary Risk Management structure. Our Global Business Conduct Code sets the standards of integrity and professional and ethical conduct that we expect in all jurisdictions in which we operate.  

I also managed various dispute resolution matters globally and ensured that business-focused dispute resolution solutions were put in place. These matters allowed me to further utilise my expertise in global dispute resolution as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators UK and a Fellow of the Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand. 

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

Early in my legal career, I worked in environmental law for one of the world’s largest technology companies. It was a unique mix of law, risk and compliance, and business. I had responsibility for ensuring compliance with environmental laws and international conventions across EMEA and APJ. I developed a programme, which not only ensured legal compliance but also generated revenue of over US$25 million per annum. It was particularly satisfying to work with regulators across EMEA and APJ and to get their feedback on how this program set the standard for excellence in environmental practices and legal compliance. I was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London in recognition of contributions to environmental practice. 

Based on your experiences in the past year, are there any trends in the legal or business world that you are keeping an eye on, of which you think other in-house lawyers should be mindful?

According to the World Economic Forum, ‘The Fourth Industrial Revolution represents a fundamental change in the way we live, work, and relate to one another. It is a new chapter in human development, enabled by extraordinary technology advances commensurate with those of the first, second, and third industrial revolutions.’ Clearly, we are on a path of dramatic technological change, and in particular, the development and use of AI is critical to this revolution. AI is revolutionising legal practice, and adoption is critical. Certainly, the efficiencies to be achieved will be very useful in practice in support of client needs. But as a result, I believe we as legal practitioners will need to double down on skills such as relationship management, empathy, judgement, business reasoning, and emotional intelligence in particular.