Team size: 60

What are the most significant cases and transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

We have started the legal 2.0 “Business Enablement Partner” project, transforming the legal department from a traditional department with business knowledge to a business department with legal knowledge. We have evolved from a classical legal model to “Business Partner” to “Business Enabler” to “Trusted Advisor”. We do not want to be reactive anymore but wish to be involved in the business from the beginning. When you walk into a room and a group of people are talking about a project or the business, you cannot immediately work out who the lawyer or project manager is. You only know when they bring in their specific knowledge.

How do you feel the pandemic has changed the world of work for in-house counsel and the function of the general counsel?

Firstly, we are more flexible and able to manage our own agenda. Other non-legal topics become increasingly important, like mental health, sustainability, diversity, and inclusion. We also see that our people are now thinking about the values and purpose of a company. Questions like, ‘do I like what the company is doing?’ ‘What can we contribute to the world?’ are essential for younger people. The general counsel will have to be part of these discussions and will have to – more than ever – develop his or her EQ.

What will be the main focus for the company in the next 12 months and how do you intend to assist with this?

We want to deliver value beyond measure for our customers. We have been working on our SVP (Strategy, Value, Purpose) plan and are now in the process of roll-out in Malvern Panalytical. We make the invisible visible so our customers can make the impossible possible. This will be the focus for the whole company and the outcome will support our growth strategy. At the same time, we are actively working on our Net Zero roadmap and dealing with the global supply challenges.

We have combined the legal and compliance department with the Programme Management Organisation (PMO), M&A, health and safety, business excellence and IP. We are currently working on developing a uniform way of working for these holistic service-related departments. We believe a business will benefit from the fact that processes are the same and people know upfront what they can expect. The team should feel empowered to operate in this model, knowing they will make mistakes, but at the end thewhole group will be better off. Every day we experience that we are included in sales, marketing, operations and R&D team discussions. From the business prevention team to the business enablers!