About

‘In France in 1996; if someone said to me I would be general counsel of the entire group I would have said “impossible as I am not a French lawyer” and the company was a lot less international than it is today. I thought it was completely out of the realm of possibility’. George Stansfield joined AXA’s New York office in 1985 and has remained with the company ever since. Upon moving to AXA in France, Stansfield noticed the significant difference between the in-house legal role in the USA and Europe. He quickly moved to ensure that legal was well positioned in the whole company and began a period of internalisation. He says it was a challenge ‘getting the balance right in terms of French expertise needed and the international experience needed to suit the nature of the business. It was about changing the mindset of the lawyers to become international which was more of challenge’. Stansfield has also been the driver behind the change in the internal perception of the legal department. Previously viewed as ‘technicians that were not perceived as adding value and only called in at the end to resolve issues’, they are now an integral department vested in all aspects of the business and are widely respected in the insurance sector. Strategically, Stansfield has directed the department to assist with the recent big data revolution: ‘How we want to reposition our company over the next 20 years and data is a big part of that. These are the more strategic issues that come with the legal questions, a lot of creative thinking is needed. Being plugged in on the discussion on where the company is going over the next 20 years, instead of coming in at the end, is vital at this pivotal point of data revolution’. Stansfield, an in-house lawyer of incredible caliber and with deep experience of the corporate history of AXA Global, could not be better suited to navigate the company through the legal maze of the data revolution that is impacting every industry globally. In 2010, Stansfield continued to gain responsibilities when he became head of group human resources; when this is coupled with his role on the group executive committee it is easy to see how important Stansfield is to the strategic direction and success of the company. Although Stansfield could boast about his successes, he still possesses a natural humbleness that makes him an exceptional leader: ‘It is important to not let your ego take over, you need to build the team around you and you need to realise that you cannot do without them’. Grow and expose them to situations and experiences has always been his personal approach for the legal team.