Belgium 2025
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Managing counsel, Benelux, Central Europe and France | McKinsey & Company
Chief legal officer, Secretary general and Member of the executive committee | Gimv NV
General counsel and Chief compliance officer | Danone Benelux
Group general counsel, Chief compliance officer and Corporate secretary | Azelis Group NV
International legal director, company secretary, compliance officer | Atenor SA
Head of legal services | European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E)
General counsel global cross-border, General counsel international 3PL | bpostgroup
Head of legal and consumers’ affairs and Ombudsman | Commission Wallonne Pour l’Energie (CWaPE)
Senior legal director, surgery and strategic solutions EMEA | Johnson & Johnson
VP, General counsel international, Chief compliance officer | Allegion PLC
Senior legal and commercial manager, Belux | Fujitsu Technology Solutions
Chief legal officer and Company secretary | Nostrum Oil & Gas plc
General counsel, Continental Europe and MENA | McCain Foods
Assistant general counsel, VP regulatory law EMEA/APAC | Johnson & Johnson
Chief legal officer, Head of contract management, GDPR and ethics | Equans Belux
General counsel, Belgium-Luxembourg | Besix Group NV/SA
VP legal and Chief security officer | Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
Senior legal counsel - Head of regional legal team, Europe and Africa | Umicore
Head of legal and corporate affairs, BeLux | Huawei Technologies
Deputy general counsel, corporate governance and Deputy corporate secretary | Solvay
Group chief legal officer | Société Nationale de Construction Aérospatiale SA
Head of legal enterprise, technology, purchase and wholesale | Proximus
General counsel and corporate secretary | GBL (Groupe Bruxelles Lambert)
Secretary general, General counsel and Head of customer services | ASCENCIO SCA
General counsel, strategic initiatives, M&A, marketing and communications, legal operations | Mastercard
Group general counsel, Company secretary and Compliance officer | Aedifica NV
Legal 500 is honoured to launch the inaugural GC Powerlist: Belgium, in partnership with Loyens & Loeff. As in-house counsel continue to play an integral role in their organisations, the Powerlist celebrates their achievements and contributions to both the legal and business landscape.
As Hans Vandendael, International Legal Director at Atenor, points out: ‘the modern in-house counsel role has evolved dramatically, requiring a broader skill set than traditional legal practice.’
In today’s fast-paced environment, in-house counsel must be able to adapt – and quickly. ‘Regulations, technologies, and market expectations evolve rapidly, particularly in sectors such as gambling. An effective counsel must therefore anticipate changes, identify risks, and seize opportunities to create value rather than merely prevent liability’, explains Yves T’Jampens, Belgium Legal Director at Napoleon Sports & Casino.
Stijn Marquant, Managing Counsel, EMEA at McKinsey & Company Inc. agrees: ‘The increasing complexity of geopolitical risks, such as sanctions and tariffs, demands proactive legal risk assessments and real-time monitoring systems to safeguard operations and finances’.
But in-house counsel are increasingly called upon to balance the legal perspective with business strategy. General counsel must act as more than legal advisors and take on the role as true strategic partners to the business. ‘It is important not only to be flexible, but also to be familiar with the overall strategy and have a firm understanding of the impact and key focus points in order support the realisation of that strategy and the projected goals,’ explains Delphine Van Waes, Chief Legal Officer at Triginta NV.
Adaptability is key in managing these different sides of the business: ‘an effective in-house counsel must be able to absorb new legal frameworks and adjust strategies while keeping sight of the bigger picture. This agility allows the legal function to remain a reliable business partner when circumstances move faster than the law itself, for example with emerging AI regulations,’ notes Robert Sillen, Legal and Royalties Director and Editions at Casterman (Madrigall Group).
AI (artificial intelligence) remains a focal point for many in-house teams. General counsel must find a balance between integrating the benefits of AI into legal operations and ensuring that its use is ethical and compliant.
AI can streamline work that often consumes unnecessary time within a legal department. ‘The rise of technological innovations, particularly generative AI, is reshaping legal operations by automating tasks, enhancing efficiency, and enabling better risk management,’ explains Marquant.
This allows ‘in-house legal teams to focus on the more complex and engaging matters’, points out Caroline Coesemans, Legal Director for BeNeLux and Nordics at Google.
But there are risks associated with the use of AI, and much of the legislation around new technology is still developing. The temptation, warns Annelies Keirsmaekers, Head of Legal Affairs at Aquafin NV, is ‘to use AI without the right background, education and critical thinking abilities to tackle the need for speed.’ Vandendael agrees: ‘General counsel must become fluent in AI capabilities while maintaining critical oversight of AI-generated insights. The liability and ethical implications of AI-assisted legal work are still evolving, requiring careful navigation.’
Legal teams must therefore navigate such issues with integrity. Edmond Bastijns, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary General at Gimv NV, argues that ‘a strong ethical compass remains fundamental, underpinning transparency, corporate integrity, and sound governance.’
‘The modern in-house lawyer is not merely a technical expert, but also a guardian of corporate reputation and societal trust. Upholding the highest ethical standards while delivering innovative, compliant solutions is what truly defines excellence in today’s environment’, agrees T’Jampens.
In-house counsel are therefore required to take on an increasingly multi-faceted role. They must adapt and evolve to keep up with the business and industry of which they are a part, whether from a business, regulatory or technological perspective. And they must do this while maintaining an ethical standpoint that underpins both the legal and strategic advice they provide.
Isabel Caine
Editor – Corporate Counsel
Legal 500
The recent news that elite US firm Sullivan & Cromwell had apologised to a judge over AI hallucinations in a court filing prompted a collective wince from the legal profession.
But while some lawyers remain wary of AI, others are striking a more open-minded note, and at the LexisNexis AI Forum hosted this Wednesday (20 May) by Legal 500 and Legal Business, panelists argued that the risks are far outweighed by the opportunities.
Barbara Zapisetskaya, principal technology counsel at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, made the case that hallucinations and other potential pitfalls can be overcome with a shift in mindset.
‘What makes a difference,’ she said, ‘is empowering your lawyers to take responsibility for AI output – helping them become active AI operators, not just passive AI users. You have agency to decide whether you agree with the output or not.’
Zapisetskaya was among a line-up of leading in-house figures speaking on two panels, which covered everything from practical steps for AI implementation to the key decisions GCs need to be making in the coming months.
Financial Times general counsel Dan Guilford began by stressing the importance of building the right culture for AI adoption. In addition to proactively upskilling himself, Guilford talked about how he had implemented a voluntary weekly ‘show and tell’ meeting for team members to share successful use cases – or an exercise that became a gratifying measure of progress.
Other panelists discussed how increased in-house productivity is altering the dynamic with their external counsel.
While some see the use of AI by law firms as a precursor for reduced fees, Russell Davies, head of global operations for legal and compliance at Dentsu, said that faster results – however they are delivered – are something to be valued.
GSK assistant general counsel Anthony Kenny agreed, saying that while there was an expectation that external counsel would be utilising AI, the focus should be on the value of the output, rather than an overemphasis on identifying AI use as a justification to reduce fees.
Speaking on the second panel, MUFG EMEA general counsel James Morgan stressed the critical importance of education, noting that educating the C-suite on the advantages and risks of AI is just as important as enabling large in-house teams to use these tools.
Shanthini Satyendra, vice-chair of the AI Committee, Society for Computers & Law, CEO and founder of Manisain, offered a reminder of the importance of making the connection between tasks and the purpose behind them, extolling the virtues of identifying use cases for AI that can solve a meaningful problem.
Zapisetskaya concurred, adding that one of the most important tasks for GCs across the next six to twelve months is to create AI playbooks and templates, noting that ‘it is easy for lawyers to see problems – much harder for lawyers to see opportunities.’
There was also broad agreement among panellists that GCs should focus on upskilling their junior lawyers on AI, rather than – as some may expect – cutting back their workforce. As Satyendra summarised: ‘Some people are replacing human capital with AI without thinking about what’s required to make AI work. Retain your people and train them up.’
The panels were moderated by Emma Millington, head of the UK Lexis+ Finance Group, and LexisNexis director of segment management Stuart Greenhill.
