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

As part of my role, I support all commercial matters and commercial policy topics across our Group countries and also any commercial initiatives and recommendations from Group commercial to our countries. I also support the M&A team on antitrust related matters, including antitrust DD issues, antitrust multi-jurisdictional assessment and merger filings.

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?

At Coca-Cola HBC, we take a proactive, strategic and integrated approach when managing legal risks during periods of instability or crises. Our crisis management team includes legal, compliance, and business stakeholders and convenes from the initial phase, whenever an incident occurs that could lead to a crisis. Risk assessment exercises identify potential business issues and vulnerabilities that could arise during a crisis, using scenario planning, where legal aspects are integrated as part of business risks assessment and mitigation plans.

We maintain a robust compliance framework, regularly updating our policies, ensuring that employees are aware of these policies through continuous training, and conducting audits to monitor compliance. In times of crisis, having a longstanding, solid and tested compliance foundation helps mitigate business and legal risks, providing a clear roadmap to navigate legal complexities.

Communication is critical during crises. It helps ensure any decisions made are well informed and identify ways in which we can support our people and the communities impacted by the crisis. The legal team involvement is integrated and continuous, providing clear guidance to our business stakeholders to help them take decisions swiftly and confidently.

Our legal strategy aligns closely with our broader business plans. As integrated members of the senior executive teams in each country and at Group, we are promptly informed of business initiatives and can support our business in developing appropriate action plans in case of adversity.

How do you prioritise diversity and inclusion within your legal department, and what initiatives have you implemented to foster a more inclusive work environment?

Diversity and inclusion (D&I) are fundamental values within our organisation, and the Group Legal team leads by example with 50% female representation. We ensure diversity in recruitment, with hiring processes designed to attract candidates from various backgrounds, ensuring that we have a broad range of perspectives and experiences. Mentorship programs are another key initiative to help grow and develop our people. We promote mentoring and reverse mentoring, pairing our lawyers with senior mentors in the business who can provide guidance, support, and advocacy for their career next steps.

We encourage open dialogue about D&I through regular forums and discussions, ensuring our employees can share experiences and voice concerns.

Group legal team senior female leaders participate in the Boardroom initiative, which supports women’s participation in BoDs, through trainings and BoD meetings simulations.