About

Setting up from scratch the structure of the global compliance system of Gedeon Richter and its affiliates (11,000 employees). Maintaining, monitoring and developing the system is a continuous responsibility of mine, as group compliance officer.

The acquisition of a Swiss based biotech company engaged in the development and commercialisation of innovative and cost effective products addressing female fertility. The purchase price for the shares amounted to CHF190m. Coordinating the legal aspects of the integration process after the acquisition.

Subscription to new shares of a US based company, amounting to US$15m, and underwriting of convertible notes issued by a US based company, for a consideration of US$5m and work out further legal terms for the long term cooperation.

What changes have you made to the workings of the legal department during your time in your current role? How has that affected the wider company?

I have enlarged the team and divided it by specific field of law and operations. For instance I have set up a separate department for R&D and biotechnology contract management, led by a senior in-house lawyer, and also one for international licensing and commercial contracting, also led by a senior in-house lawyer. I have also created a separate team for group compliance. This also resulted in a more specialised operation, as required by our very diverse tasks. Such diversity has been developed through several years, by adding more and more responsibility to my team by the top management. All the above affected the wider company by a definite improvement of the efficiency of legal processes, the speed of contracting, awareness of legal culture and compliance.

How important have “soft skills” or personal attributes outside of technical legal skill been to the team’s success, and which “soft skills” do you feel are most important for an in-house lawyer to possess?

Soft skills are crucial. My belief is that there is no successful in-house counsel without excellent soft skills. Being able to communicate with all the respective departments, to make non-legal professionals understand the legal requirements and environment, to put legal provisions across in the commercial agreements which protects the company’s interest without harming the business, so altogether being able to work well both with the legal department’s external and internal buyers and other stakeholders, is the essence of the in-house role.

“I know more than I say, I think more than I speak, and I notice more than you realise”, could be the right quote here.

What are the most important considerations you have when recruiting new team members?

The ability to understand the non-legal professionals within the company AND the ability to make themselves understood. Being legally “flexible” enough to cope with the business needs [and have] a business mind-set, it is not for everyone.

If you had to give advice to an aspiring in-house lawyer or GC what would it be and why?

There is no long-term success and satisfaction unless you truly believe in your company’s values and strategy. This is an utmost need. Only this can ensure that you do not always think about how to move forward in the hierarchy, but to have the only and ultimate goal of each and every day carrying out your tasks in an excellent and professional manner. The rest will come.

FOCUS ON… CHANGES

The following are changes in the legal and business environment and pharmaceutical industry standards, as I see them.

I strongly believe that changes are good. They always have a good side at least. This is the approach that I follow during my every day work. Why would I think that? How could the always changing regulatory environment of the pharmaceutical industry possibly provide general counsel, and in particular my department, any good?

How could the continuous and very high priority competition law enforcement and market monitoring practices of the European Commission make our job easier? How could the diversified clinical trial regulations and liability issues make our job enjoyable? Why would I think that the new MDR, all the grey areas and uncertainties around its implementation, the unforeseen impacts on the budget will make our days easier? Why would I say that compliance requirements with all the very specific industry related details, or the GDPR implementation and all the fuss around it, or the serialised authentication of pharma products will make us better professionals? Why would I personally feel better by all the budget pressure arising out of the above factors?

The answer is obvious. All the above directions, changes, challenges or whatever we wish to call them, make the in-house role more and more indispensable, and on a daily basis. These changes strengthen our role in decision making processes, be it middle or top management levels. They push and inspire us to become “more” than legal professionals. All these lead to the recognition of our importance, step by step. And then, respect follows… I very well remember, during my first years as an in-house lawyer 14 years ago, most of the times I was a suspicious “element” in the process, the lawyer, who slows down business and makes the contracts all “red”. The view has changed by now, on one hand because it had to change, on the other hand also due to the jungle of regulations, product liability matters, increasing risks of reputation loss, compliance investigations, competitors’ continuous monitoring activities, the expectation of a more and more law abiding behaviour etc.

This is why I believe that changes and challenges are general counsel and legal departments’ best friends, especially in the pharmaceutical industry. This highly regulated industry, will hopefully always provide us in-house counsel with more and more responsibilities and through that, recognition and respect.