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

Over the past twelve months, I have focused on supporting First Central Group through a period of significant strategic, regulatory and organisational development. My role spans governance, legal, regulatory compliance, privacy and company secretarial matters, with a particular emphasis on ensuring that legal and governance frameworks enable the business to move at pace while remaining well controlled. Key projects have included major strategic corporate activity, governance development and regulatory oversight across the UK, Guernsey and Gibraltar. In each case, my role has been to provide clear legal and governance leadership, support board and executive decision-making, and translate complex legal and regulatory issues into practical business advice. The impact has been stronger alignment between strategy, governance and risk management, with governance acting as an enabler of delivery rather than simply a control function.

Please provide a brief description of any internal transformation/development projects within your legal team over the last twelve months (AI usage, new legal panels, expansion/restructuring of legal team, DE&I initiatives etc.).

Over the last year, an important priority has been continuing to evolve the legal and governance function so that it remains aligned to the needs of a fast-moving, regulated business. This has included refining our approach to external counsel, with greater focus on using advisers selectively and ensuring strong alignment between specialist expertise, value and strategic need. We have also been exploring the use of AI and other technology to improve efficiency, particularly in relation to contract management and routine administrative work. Our approach has been pragmatic and controlled, recognising the benefits of AI while maintaining clear guardrails around confidentiality, accuracy, governance and professional judgement.

What key trends should in-house counsel be monitoring over the coming months?

In-house counsel should be watching three broad trends closely. First, the pace of regulatory change continues to increase, particularly in areas such as operational resilience, consumer duty, governance, data use and AI. For businesses operating across multiple jurisdictions, the challenge is not just understanding the rules but managing divergence between regimes and ensuring that compliance is practical and proportionate. Second, legal teams need to pay close attention to how boards are making decisions in a more uncertain environment. Economic pressure, political change, cyber risk and heightened stakeholder scrutiny all mean that governance, record-keeping and decision-making discipline matter more than ever. Legal (and CoSec) teams are increasingly central to helping businesses navigate that complexity. Third, AI and technology adoption will continue to reshape legal work. The key issue is not whether legal teams use AI, but how they do so responsibly, with appropriate oversight, validation, confidentiality controls and human judgement.

The role of the GC has evolved significantly into that of a strategic business partner. How do you balance commercial objectives with legal risk?

I do not see commercial objectives and legal risk as opposing forces. The role of the modern GC is to help the business achieve its goals in a way that is sustainable, well governed and aligned with its risk appetite. That means understanding the commercial context properly before giving advice, i.e. what the business is trying to achieve, the timeframe, the real risks and where there is room for flexibility. In my role as CGO, with oversight or the broader governance functions including Risk & Compliance, managing that dynamic is made a bit easier as I have a broader view of the risk environment within which our business operates. Sometimes the right answer is to say no, but often it is about finding a different route that protects the business while still allowing progress. I think legal leaders add most value when they are able to translate legal complexity into practical options, rather than simply identifying problems. Trust is also central, and if legal (and other governance functions) are involved early, understand the business and are seen as solutions-oriented, it is much easier to have constructive conversations about risk, trade-offs and decision-making.

What are the most important attributes of the modern GC and what advice would you give to those aspiring to be an in-house lawyer?

The modern GC needs a combination of technical credibility, sound judgement, commercial awareness and emotional intelligence. Legal expertise remains essential, but it is no longer enough on its own. The best in-house lawyers are able to influence, prioritise, communicate clearly and help organisations make better decisions in complex situations. I also think resilience and curiosity matter a great deal. In-house roles are broad and often ambiguous, and lawyers need to be comfortable operating beyond narrow legal questions. They need to understand people, strategy, governance and risk as well as black-letter law. For those aspiring to an in-house career, my advice would be to learn how businesses really work. Spend time understanding financial drivers, operational realities and stakeholder dynamics. Focus on being practical, trusted and easy to work with. The lawyers who stand out in-house are not always the ones with the longest technical answer, but the ones who can give clear, actionable advice that helps move the business forward.

How do you use AI within your legal team to improve efficiency while maintaining quality, governance and integrity? How do you think AI will impact in-house legal functions more widely?

We see AI as a tool to support productivity, not replace judgement. It can be extremely helpful in tasks such as summarising information, identifying themes, generating first drafts and reducing time spent on routine administrative work. Used carefully, that creates space for lawyers to focus on higher-value analysis, decision support and stakeholder engagement. In a legal environment, any use of AI has to sit within clear guardrails around confidentiality, data protection, accuracy, auditability and human oversight. Outputs must be reviewed critically, and responsibility for legal judgement cannot be outsourced to a system. For me, the right approach is to be open to the opportunity but disciplined in how it is applied.

More widely, I think AI will have a significant impact on in-house legal functions. It will change workflows, raise expectations around speed and efficiency and reduce the time spent on lower-complexity tasks. But it will also increase the importance of judgement, ethics and governance. In that sense, AI is unlikely to diminish the role of in-house lawyers, rather, I see it more likely to elevate the importance of the parts of the role that are most human.