What are the key projects that you have been involved in over the past 12 months?

One of the joys and key challenges of the role of legal counsel in a business like Veolia is the sheer variety and complexity of projects that we as a legal team can support. Veolia is working to reconcile human progress with environmental protection via solutions to decarbonise, depollute and regenerate resources and provides a wide range of environmental services – from water treatment and hazardous waste solutions, to delivering energy services to large municipal and industrial customers. In the past year, we have advised on many projects, from upgrading major water treatment infrastructure assets across the country to providing solutions for treating complex waste in Ireland (e.g. a solution which enables full closed loop recycling and recovery of nitrous oxide canisters) and implementing a major upgrade to utilities infrastructure within a major Dublin hospital (Mater Hospital Whitty Lighting Upgrade).

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

Our objectives as a team are closely aligned with the company’s objectives and we review them on an ongoing basis to ensure that our contribution is fit for purpose and supports growth and innovation, while at the same time effectively assessing and mitigating the risks that arise. In periods of instability or crisis, we need to stay close to the business and to be able to adapt quickly as challenges come up, and we are lucky to be able to draw on a wide team of experts across our wider business (technical, legal, operational), as well as on external counsel, as needed, in dealing with those challenges. As a member of the senior leadership team in Ireland, I work closely with my colleagues and the board to ensure that the decisions that we take on key issues are as well informed as possible and align with our overall strategy as a business.

What do you think are the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel to possess?

Be curious – we don’t have all the answers and sometimes asking a different kind of question can lead to something that you might not have thought of or that no one thought to tell you.

Optimism – it’s often what will help you to look forward and find solutions – and it can make life a little easier on the occasional dark day.

Communicate well – clearly and with purpose – being able to engage with our stakeholders on why something is important (why they should care) and what we can do about it is a large part of what the business needs from us on a daily basis.