Team size: Eight

In an increasingly complex global environment, how are you helping your organisation navigate risk while still supporting growth? 

As the leading in-house lawyer of the company, I wear many hats — named company secretary to a listed company, senior in-house lawyer in the group, gatekeeper, second line of defence, risk manager and adviser — but my most critical role is as a strategic partner to the C-suite. In the current business environment, this role is more important than ever. Boards and executive teams are navigating a range of global risks and challenges: economic uncertainty, supply-chain disruption, shifting regulatory regimes, geopolitical instability, DEI changes and challenges associated with generative AI.

The modern General Counsel integrates legal expertise, strategic vision and authentic leadership to deliver sustained enterprise value. By aligning departmental goals with corporate priorities, communicating outcomes in business terms and fostering a trust-based culture, the General Counsel is able to exert influence at the highest levels of the organisation.

How has the role of General Counsel evolved in recent years, and where do you see GCs creating the most value today? 

In the face of multifaceted challenges, the General Counsel should evolve from being merely the ‘lawyer in the room’ to a key contributor to strategy and long-term value creation. Many executives still see their General Counsel as the legal voice in the room, rather than recognising them as an integral member of the team. Since my onboarding, I have made concerted efforts to change how the Legal, Insurance and Company Secretary functions lead, communicate and engage with senior leadership.

The future of the General Counsel is determined by their adaptability. As organisations navigate digital transformation, ESG expectations and geopolitical change, the General Counsel must anticipate evolving business needs and lead through complexity. Continuous learning, curiosity and strategic foresight distinguish those who not only interpret legal and regulatory shifts but also guide organisational response. A General Counsel who understands both governance and growth becomes an essential force in enterprise resilience and long-term success.

How has your relationship with the board changed, and where do you add the most value at board level?

As both Legal Counsel and Named Company Secretary, the combined role brings various benefits. Should the board want a legal opinion or advice at the meeting, they can simply ask the General Counsel to take off the Company Secretary hat and put on the General Counsel hat.

An additional benefit of combining the roles may come from the increasing focus it affords on the management of risk at board level. One of the key aspects of the General Counsel’s role is to make judgements regarding risks across a business, often driving processes in key areas. Most General Counsel work closely with Internal Audit, a function which in turn reports to the Chair of the Audit Committee. The combined role, involving the General Counsel’s reporting relationship as General Counsel and the General Counsel’s presence at board meetings in the role of Company Secretary, provides the board with greater comfort as it maintains two routes for raising key risks at main board level.

Both roles will continue to grow in importance and, in many aspects, demand knowledge, experience and expertise which are intertwined.

How do you build and maintain a strong legal team? 

The General Counsel’s understanding of their business needs is crucial when building and maintaining a legal team. The success of a legal team hinges upon the General Counsel’s ability to identify the specific legal areas that require expertise and align them with the organisation’s strategic goals and business priorities; to define roles and responsibilities within the legal team to ensure smooth functioning, with each team member having a clear understanding of their specific tasks and overall objectives in order to streamline workflow, avoid confusion and promote effective collaboration; to assign roles to team members based on individual strengths and expertise, thereby ensuring a balanced distribution of responsibilities, and to provide feedback, which is key to fostering collaboration and maintaining accountability; to prioritise diversity and inclusion in order to create a well-rounded and dynamic team capable of addressing a variety of legal challenges; to select team members whose personal ethos aligns with the company’s culture and values; and to maintain fairness in rewards and remuneration, without favouritism.