About

Cdiscount, a subsidiary of Casino Group, is one of the most prominent online largest non-food retailer and marketplaces in France, successfully competing against major global players such as Amazon and eBay. To do this, the company has enlisted the help of high-level talent throughout its ranks, with its legal team being no exception. Led by general counsel Marie Even, and expertly supported by senior lawyers Marcela Castella, Charlotte Calvet, Mathieu M’bodj and Aurélie Anquetil, the legal team is atypical in that it has dedicated IT project manager attached to the team, reflecting the cutting-edge nature of their work. Marie Even explains that the team has undergone major growth over the past few years: ‘We were very lucky in that the legal team has reinforced its human resources. In 2009 the team was three, and we now have 14 lawyers and two non-lawyers based around our four business units of suppliers relations, marketplace, customer and operations and compliance and projects’. Cdiscount legal team has also had a major effect on the overall culture of the business, with Marie Even and the rest of the team emphasizing their role in ensuring an ethical approach throughout their organization and at the same time accompanying and achieving the business development targets of the company. The legal department also utilises a high level of new technologies and has designed a number of IT tools in close collaboration with data scientists and the IT department in order to handle key subjects for the company. Marie Even and the rest of the team are clear about the mindset the team promotes in order to achieve success: ‘A good lawyer should not impose limits on their way of thinking, and our effort is to never say never. As an e-commerce business, competition is strong and regulations are often open to change, which gives us great opportunity and the duty to imagine solutions and allows us to actively participate in company strategy to a high degree’.