Team size: Twelve

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?

In the fashion and beauty industry—where trends shift rapidly and brand reputation is everything—navigating periods of instability demands not just legal precision, but deep alignment with brand identity, consumer trust, and supply chain dynamics. As General Counsel, my approach during crises is rooted in a balance between risk mitigation and strategic enablement. Legal must be a proactive partner, helping the business adapt quickly while protecting long-term brand equity.

Crises in our sector can take many forms: supply chain disruptions, labor rights concerns, social media backlash, regulatory changes in global markets, or economic downturns that shift consumer behavior. When instability arises, the legal team must act swiftly to assess immediate exposures—whether contractual, reputational, or compliance-related—while guiding the business toward decisions that uphold both legal and brand standards.

Preparedness is key. Contracts with suppliers, manufacturers, and talent include robust force majeure, IP protection, and termination clauses are essential tools in volatile environments.

During a crisis, my first priority is embedding legal into the crisis management team. In fashion and beauty, timing is everything—product launches, campaign releases, and market entries can’t wait. We assess not just the legal risk, but also the brand and consumer implications. For example, in a case of supply chain disruption, we don’t simply look at breach of contract—we weigh the impact on product availability, customer loyalty, and sustainability commitments.

Consumer trust is especially fragile in this industry. Legal decisions—whether related to marketing claims, influencer partnerships, or ESG disclosures—must align with what our customers expect from the brand. If a regulatory body flags a product ingredient or if misinformation spreads online, we work hand-in-hand with communications and marketing to ensure transparent, timely responses that reflect both legal accuracy and brand voice.

We also play a pivotal role in ensuring compliance in diverse and shifting global markets, especially as beauty regulations evolve rapidly in regions like the EU, China, and the U.S. Maintaining a clear view of international regulatory landscapes, and ensuring our innovation and product development teams stay ahead of changes, is critical to avoiding costly delays or product reformulations.

Throughout instability, the legal strategy stays tightly aligned with the business strategy. If leadership decides to accelerate digital channels in response to market shifts, we ensure privacy, consumer protection, and e-commerce compliance frameworks are solid. If we pivot toward sustainability or DEI initiatives, legal ensures that claims are substantiated and practices are transparent—avoiding the reputational risks of greenwashing or performative messaging.

Our Group is an international one but, luckily enough, the relationship with the CEO and the top management is very close, so legal can be involved in issues since the very beginning and I think this is the real crucial point. Involvement. The sooner legal is involved the sooner we may be able to assess the risk and to adopt the right measures to face issues.

What measures has your company taken to embed sustainability practices into its core business operations, and how does the role of the general counsel contribute to driving and ensuring sustainable practices within the company?

Dolce & Gabbana Group since 2021 decide to publish a sustainability report (even if not yet mandatory by the law) outlining all measure that the Group is putting in place to be more sustainable. We identified seven pillars and we are constantly monitoring the progress of our targets. We created a ESG department that is responding directly to the Board in order to ensure the maximum level of attention to this matte. Dolce & Gabbana together with other 5 big Italian brands, being for the first time not competitors but allies, created the so called Re:Crea consortium with the aim to be ready to implement (as soon as the Italian Government will adopt the EU directive) all the necessary measures to grant an improvement on the circular economy, sustainability and recycling of fashion products.

What emerging technologies do you see as having the most significant impact on the legal profession in the near future, and how do you stay updated on these developments?

As General Counsel, I see emerging technologies not only reshaping how legal departments operate but also fundamentally transforming the expectations placed on in-house legal teams. Among the most impactful technologies are AI-driven legal tools, blockchain, and advanced data analytics.

Artificial Intelligence is already redefining legal workflows. Generative AI, in particular, has introduced new efficiencies in contract drafting, document review, and even regulatory research. While it’s not a replacement for legal judgment, it significantly reduces the time spent on repetitive tasks and allows us to focus on higher-level strategic work. Tools that automate contract lifecycle management or flag regulatory risks in real time are helping in-house legal teams move from reactive to proactive.

In the fashion and beauty industry, where IP and brand reputation are core assets, blockchain has promising implications—particularly for tracking IP rights, verifying product authenticity, and supporting sustainability claims. From a legal perspective, we’re monitoring how blockchain-based documentation and smart contracts can be integrated into global supply chains to improve transparency and mitigate disputes.

Data analytics is another powerful area. Being able to quantify legal risk, track litigation trends, or assess compliance metrics helps legal teams speak the same language as business leadership. It allows us to prioritize legal resources where they can deliver the most impact, and to predict—not just react to—risk.

Cybersecurity and privacy technologies are also top of mind. As data protection regulations evolve globally, staying current with secure, privacy-centric technologies is not optional. For legal, this means partnering closely with IT and compliance to ensure that the business’s use of data is lawful, ethical, and aligned with consumer expectations.

Ultimately, technology isn’t replacing the role of legal—it’s elevating it. It allows us to be faster, more predictive, and better aligned with the business. My focus as General Counsel is to ensure we are not just keeping pace, but actively leading innovation where it intersects with risk, compliance, and corporate strategy.