Legal team size: Four

Country you’re based in: Kenya.

Bob is a dual qualified lawyer, as an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda, with over 10 years’ experience overseeing in-house legal matters in over 30

jurisdictions in the Middle East and Africa, as well as supporting complex assignments in the US, UK, India and East Europe. His experience in senior management roles has enabled him to excel in providing strategic legal advice to leadership, thereby enabling informed decision-making and business growth.

Bob started his legal career journey as a legal assistant quickly rising to legal officer at a corporation dealing with security, courier logistics and archiving/warehousing with over 100 branches. He then joined an organisation in the cargo transport logistics sector as a senior legal officer. Thereafter, he joined a large multinational group in the duty-free retail and wholesale business as the assistant legal manager – Africa quickly advancing to Legal Manager – Africa with sole oversight over legal and regulatory compliance matters across 12 African countries. Bob then relocated to Dubai within the same group to become the legal manager – Middle East & Africa with oversight over legal matters across 21 countries in MEA. Upon returning to Kenya, Bob took on the role of Legal Specialist at a non-profit organisation with operations in 11 African countries. He then transitioned to become the Regional Legal Counsel – Africa at a prominent international humanitarian organisation with operations in 23 countries in Africa. His last appointment was as the Legal Manager at a key player in the African energy industry.

Bob is a member of the African Corporate and Government Counsel Forum (ACGC). He is also a member of two committees of the East Africa Law Society (EALS), namely the In-House Counsel Committee and the Cross-Border Practice and Regulation Committee.

Have you had any experiences during your legal career that stand out as particularly unique or interesting?

I have had the unique opportunity to establish and operationalise the legal function in Africa for

two organisations which came about as a result of a strategic decision by the said organisations to

mitigate risk exposure in their operations in Africa, led by someone who understands the environment in Africa. Also, working in Dubai exposed me to very complex international assignments beyond Africa. These experiences have helped me become a better legal resource because I now have an excellent mastery of cross-border assignments in multi-cultural settings.

How are you bringing the legal department closer to your business colleagues?

By implementing strategies like establishing clear communication channels through defining

clear communication methods, scheduling regular updates and offering feedback channels. Additonally, proactively sharing legal knowledge through providing training and workshops, creating accessible legal resources, sharing contract summaries, coupled with proactive risk identification and

management through being a resource for colleagues. Building relationships and trust through

attending and actively participating business meetings, fostering a positive relationship with

other departments is equally important. As a result, the legal department is a more integrated and valued partner to the business, fostering a culture of collaboration and shared responsibility for legal compliance and risk

management.