What are the most significant cases, projects, or transactions that you and your legal team have recently been involved in?

Recently, together with my team and always in close collaboration with the other business functions involved, I have had the opportunity to support several key strategic projects across different areas of the business. Among the most significant initiatives, I provided legal support for the incorporation of the company’s new Spanish subsidiary, helping ensure continuity of an established business that had previously been developed through a long-standing distributor, while supporting its transition to a direct presence in the Spanish market. I also contributed to the launch of a new digital sales channel through online marketplaces, advising on the contractual and risk management aspects associated with this new business model. From a governance and compliance perspective, I led the expansion and redesign of the scope of the company’s internal reporting (whistleblowing) channel, updating the related policy not only to ensure compliance with the latest legal requirements but also to better address the organisation’s broader commitment to protecting individuals and promoting ethical conduct and corporate responsibility.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

During periods of crisis or uncertainty, which inevitably affect every company at some point, including those experiencing sustained growth, I believe the legal function should adopt a balanced approach. On the one hand, it is important to remain focused on the company’s strategic objectives, revising them only where changing circumstances require it. On the other, it is essential to strengthen the legal team’s proximity to the business by working even more closely with the commercial, finance and other key functions involved in decision-making.

It is precisely during times of uncertainty that the legal function, while preserving the independence necessary to ensure compliance with applicable laws and protect the company’s interests, should reinforce its role as a trusted business partner. Rather than simply identifying risks, legal teams should help the business develop practical and sustainable solutions.

Risk management must also evolve. The approach should become more selective, prudent, and priorities-driven, focusing time and resources on the risks that are truly material to the business and to the achievement of the company’s strategic objectives.

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

Drawing on several years of experience in business-oriented law firms, I believe that an in-house counsel should focus on positioning themselves as a partner to the other business functions, rather than as a function perceived as a barrier to progress.

It is essential to combine legal accuracy with clear communication, making at least the key concepts accessible to people without legal background.

I also believe that an effective legal function does not impose rules from above, but instead works alongside the other business functions, understanding their needs and contributing to the development of integrated and shared solutions.

How can general counsel foster a corporate culture that supports ESG principles and compliance across all levels of the organisation?

At Davines Group, ESG principles are an integral part of the company’s business and represent a distinctive element of its corporate culture. I believe the legal function has the role of helping to embed this culture also within processes and tools that, by their nature, may appear technical or lacking an explicit value-based dimension.

In practice, the legal function applies ESG principles in negotiations, in disputes management and in governance frameworks, ensuring that they remain guiding principles for every company process and procedure. The promotion of ESG by the legal function is therefore practical and concrete and is reflected in their effective integration into day-to-day operations and activities.