How do you ensure the legal function supports business resilience during periods of uncertainty or disruption?

Resilience is not improvised in the middle of a storm — it is engineered before it. And it starts with a posture. A General Counsel earns their place in periods of disruption less through technical expertise alone than through the stance they choose to adopt: not a reactive support desk, but a risk-prevention and management engine built long beforehand — bringing legal, compliance, insurance, risk mapping and safety into a single, connected line of sight, so the organisation reads risk as one system and responds as one team.

That starts with anticipation. A crisis is, by nature, unpredictable; what is within our control is our level of preparation. Crisis-management plans must be drafted, updated and — critically — known by every actor before anything happens, because a plan that lives in a drawer is not a plan. Fed by rigorous risk mapping and disciplined governance, this posture turns weak signals into early decisions rather than late surprises. The value of a GC, in calm weather, is to make the organisation ready for the weather it cannot yet see.

When uncertainty hits, that posture becomes visible. The GC identifies, assesses and mitigates the risks that could turn into liabilities, and ensures every decision is taken promptly, coordinated and traceable — while keeping a cool head. That composure is itself a leadership act: it reassures the field, top management and external counsel, and lets both internal and external messaging be validated with clarity. It also means closing the loop — structured lessons learned and a monitored post-crisis action plan — so each disruption leaves the organisation stronger than before.

But uncertainty is not only crisis; it is also transformation — M&A, capital-markets operations, regulatory shifts, the rise of AI. Here the GC’s posture shifts from guardian to enabler: to secure ambition, not slow it. Resilience is not built by saying ‘no’; it is built by giving teams a safe way to say ‘yes’.

Ultimately, resilience is a matter of posture as much as competence. A GC delivers resilience when they choose to be visible, useful and respected — a posture grounded in independence, positive energy and an uncompromising standard of quality.

What is the biggest shift you have seen in the role of General Counsel in the past five years, and how do you see it evolving further?

Five years ago, we were the firefighter: called in late, to make a decision legally survivable. Today, we’re expected to be the architect of the long term — present upstream, where strategy is designed. My conviction is simple: you make of your role exactly what you decide to make of it. Beyond the title, it’s the perimeter, the height of vision and the courage to act that define the responsibility.

Where it goes next? The profession is splitting in two: those who scale strategic impact, and those buried in reactive churn. My north star is clear — be guardian of the temple and driver of transformation at once, and turn a support function imposed into a strategic partnership chosen.