Team size: 500+ globally

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

Since taking the role in January 2025, my leadership team and I have embarked on a journey to modernise the way we support the business. We’ve focused primarily on technology solutions, such as AI, document management systems, and a legal team hub, to improve delivery and support the teams in their day-to-day and external firm management (e.g., when and which firms we engage, panel refresh, etc.), which has lowered external costs by more than 25%. Over those 18 months, legal has continued to support the company through a strategic reset, leadership changes, climate litigation, activism, and significant portfolio changes – in addition to delivering the day-to-day.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

Be agile and encourage diverse views. Scenario planning is important, but the world is getting harder to predict. It’s becoming more important to regularly check-in and see what adjustments need to be made given the evolving facts. Don’t be wedded to a strategy. What was the best strategy yesterday, may not be the right strategy tomorrow. You need to recognise changing facts and be willing to learn and shift quickly.

What do you think are the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel to possess?

Curiosity and commerciality. The world is changing very quickly (AI, other technological advancements, energy transitions, geo-politics). The way we do our jobs today should not be the way we do them in five years. Be willing to embrace new ways of working and learn new subject areas. Don’t aim to be the smartest person in the room, be the one willing to learn the new stuff. And finally: be a partner to the business and understand how to enable the business to succeed. Be commercial and capture value. That requires you to not only think like a lawyer, but also to think like an owner of the business. The combination is powerful.