About

John O’Halloran, senior vice president and head of legal, EMEA assumed his current position in April 2018, having previously held various European regional roles for MetLife since October 2012. Prior to joining MetLife, he worked with the Irish law firm McCann FitzGerald. O’Halloran highlights that by working across more than 20 jurisdictions, the issues and challenges that arise can be varied and complex. However, MetLife have strong, local in-house teams which help us to navigate these issues and reach satisfactory outcomes. He says, ‘as a senior in-house lawyer, you have to understand the business and industry in which you operate. Understanding the MetLife business model and strategy and the broader insurance industry has helped me develop as a lawyer and to better contextualise the legal advice [I] provide to my functional and business colleagues. Also, understanding the risk framework within a business helps us, as in-house lawyers, to advise appropriately in the context of a company’s risk appetite’.