About

‘One of the things I’ve always felt is it shouldn’t just be a reactive backroom role’, Peter Balfour says. ‘My view – supported by the General Manager – is that you can prevent something arising if you are involved at an early enough stage. I’m all for the proactive approach’.

Leading all Transnet’s legal and compliance work, Balfour stands out in his ‘faultless’ understanding of a complex and technical industry, and is particularly praised for his role in the company’s successful roll out of terminal operator licensing.

During his 20 years at the leading logistics provider, Balfour became executive manager two years ago, and currently leads a 12-strong legal team. Since then, he has taken steps to centralise and update its operations, in an effort to increase efficiency in supporting seven commercial ports.

When discussing achievements, he is quick to point to the level of empowerment the business has provided. ‘A lot of the credit must go to the General Manager. Without her support I don’t think we would have achieved to the extent we have. She is very high profile and has helped a lot in catapulting legal services to a front line function with upfront value-add, as opposed to simply being reactive to a situation’.

When it comes to outside counsel, Balfour points again to the need for three-dimensional industry understanding. ‘Essentially you need to have as much knowledge, if not more, about the operations of the business as your in-house client does, or you’re not going to be able to add as much value’.