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

The role of the General Counsel has fundamentally evolved from a reactive legal advisor to a proactive strategic partner, a shift that is essential for navigating today’s complex environment. As the APME General Counsel for Natixis, I help the organisation manage risk while championing growth by embedding the legal and compliance function into the core of our business strategy. My approach is anchored in a proactive risk management framework that not only identifies existing exposures but also anticipates emerging threats across the diverse jurisdictions of the Asia-Pacific-Middle-East region.

This involves close collaboration with business lines to ensure that as we pursue growth—exploring new products, entering new markets, and engaging new clients—legal insights are integrated into the decision-making process from the very beginning. This partnership allows us to identify and mitigate potential legal, regulatory, and non-financial risks early on, ensuring our strategic and business objectives are aligned with a clear understanding of the risk landscape. It transforms the role of legal into a strategic enabler, fostering a culture of shared responsibility and ownership where we can explore solutions that support growth while ensuring robust risk management.

This evolution addresses where GCs create the most value today: at the intersection of risk management, strategy, and business enablement. The post-financial crisis era has brought unprecedented regulatory scrutiny, with rapid changes across the APAC region in crucial areas such as cybersecurity, data privacy, sanctions, and financial crime. In this context, the GC’s value extends far beyond ensuring baseline compliance. We must lead the charge in adapting to these changes, which requires a deep understanding of both the technology used to perpetrate breaches and the technology available to prevent them. This involves guiding strategic investment decisions on compliance technology based on a joint risk assessment process with the business.

Ultimately, the most significant value a modern GC can provide is in fostering an environment where the Legal and Compliance team is seen as a vital business partner. While processes and frameworks are crucial, the true resilience of an organisation is underpinned by a strong compliance culture, where employees are empowered to make ethically sound decisions. By proactively aligning legal strategy with organisational objectives and shifting from a purely transactional focus to a big-picture, strategic viewpoint, the GC can clearly demonstrate how this function contributes to long-term success, helping the organisation navigate complexity with confidence and drive sustainable growth.

How do you build and maintain a strong legal team?

My most significant challenge as General Counsel has been repositioning the legal function to meet the demands of an increasingly complex regulatory and business environment. In today’s landscape, our work is dominated by intricate regulatory changes and the growing prominence of non-financial risks. The core task was to build a team capable of providing sophisticated oversight of these multifaceted risks and effectively communicating their strategic importance to the business.

What I learned from this challenge directly informs my approach to building and maintaining a strong legal team. The most critical lesson was that a team’s success hinges on a clearly communicated strategy that is explicitly linked to the overarching ambitions of the organisation. A strong legal team cannot operate in a silo; it must be deeply integrated into the business.

To build such a team, my first priority is ensuring alignment. I make sure that our team’s strategy is communicated and understood, and that it is directly tied to the firm’s growth plans. This involves ensuring every team member knows not only their specific responsibilities but also how their work contributes to the bank’s larger objectives. When a lawyer understands that their advice on a transaction fits into a broader strategy of entering a new market or launching a new product line, their contribution becomes more insightful and valuable. This requires fostering deep business acumen within the team.

Second, maintaining a strong team requires empowering them to move from a micro-level, transactional focus to a ‘big picture’ perspective. I encourage my team to think strategically about how legal can add value, enabling more meaningful communication with stakeholders. This shift helps stakeholders see the legal function not as a cost centre, but as a crucial partner in achieving success. It also ensures the team is prepared to handle the mix of transactional, regulatory, and strategic work required today.

Finally, the foundation of a strong team—and the enduring lesson from my biggest challenge—is cultivating the right culture. While robust processes are essential, they are not enough. True strength comes from a strong compliance culture where team members are guided by an innate sense of right and wrong, especially in high-pressure situations. As leaders, we are critical to fostering this cultural foundation. By building a strategically aligned and ethically grounded team, we not only navigate challenges effectively but also reinforce the trust and integrity that are vital for long-term organisational success.