Pixartprinting S.p.A. (PrintGroup — Cimpress group)

Team size: 3 (myself and 2 legal specialists)

Short biography

Linda Ferraro is Head of Legal of Pixartprinting and PrintGroup (Cimpress group), which she joined seven months ago. She leads a small team covering commercial contracts, privacy and data protection, 231 compliance, corporate governance, IP and AI policy across the group’s European markets. She began her career in commercial contracts, cross-border M&A and arbitration at magic-circle firms, before moving in-house, where she has held senior legal and compliance roles in leading Italian groups, including a listed company.

Short biography

Most significant cases, projects or transactions of the past year

I took on this role seven months ago, and my first priority was to build a clear, group-wide picture of our compliance posture. I ran an assessment across the regulatory areas that matter most to the business (AI, data protection, and consumer and product law) and used it to set a clear roadmap of priorities: responding to the most recent measures of the Italian Data Protection Authority; strengthening our consumer-facing framework, including a full revision of our General Terms and Conditions of Sale across twelve European markets under a single Italian-law basis; and laying the first foundations for EU AI Act compliance. In parallel, I led the harmonisation of the group’s Delegation of Authority, mapping powers and gaps against the parent-company template. Building on that foundation, my team began developing the group’s AI governance policy — still a work in progress — in coordination with the IT department and our US parent group; designed and rolled out role-based training programmes on both 231 organisational models and data protection; negotiated several high-value supply agreements for industrial printing equipment; and contributed in various capacities to group-level corporate transactions. (Specific counterparties, transactions and figures are confidential.)

Managing legal aspects during instability or crisis

My approach is pragmatic and risk-based. In volatile periods I map the real exposure fast, separating genuine legal risk from noise; I keep the legal function embedded in the business so decisions are taken with legal input, not after it; and I favour instruments that anticipate rather than react — remediation clauses, contingency drafting, clear escalation paths. Resilience comes from preparation and from a team the business trusts enough to involve early.

Digital transformation of a legal department while maintaining data-protection compliance

Digital transformation of a legal function only works if data protection is designed in from the start, not bolted on. Integrating AI into a highly structured e-commerce group, we begin with governance: a group AI policy, clear rules on which tools may process which data, and human oversight where the law requires it. Italian law now restricts fully automated decisions in employment, and the EU AI Act adds transparency duties we build into customer-facing flows. We align every initiative with GDPR and the Italian Data Protection Authority’s guidance, especially on employee monitoring. Compliance is the enabler, not the brake.

Most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel

Three things. First, business fluency: an in-house lawyer must read the business, not just laws and regulations — and use that understanding to define the acceptable levels of risk and the guardrails within which the business can move quickly and confidently, rather than simply saying no. Second, a proactive compliance mindset — living 231 organisational models and data-protection duties as culture, embedded through early involvement rather than treated as paperwork. Third, adaptability across languages, jurisdictions and technologies; in a European group you move between Italian, EU and local law daily. The best in-house counsel turns legal complexity into clear, actionable choices for the business.