Team size: 14

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

Over the past year, the team has been directly involved in launching new initiatives such as law & tax professional services, IoT business, and Corporate Finance & Strategy advisory activities. The team has also been responsible for handling contractual and legal matters involved in the various lateral hire transactions in Italy and abroad. In addition, the team supported the business activities related to the opening of new branches in Peru and Albania, as well as the legal aspects of the new flagship building in Rome. The team’s commitment to compliance remains constant, both in Italy and at Group level, alongside the implementation of corporate reorganisations aimed at keeping the corporate structure at a consistently high level of efficiency.

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

The team, whose initial establishment began in 2020 under the leadership of the current Group General Counsel, plays a key role in the Group’s activities, both in relation to more strictly legal matters and compliance, in light of the new dynamics of collaboration with the business as well as regulatory developments.

There are numerous initiatives under way, both in Italy and internationally, aimed not only at strengthening cohesion among team members, but also at enhancing collaboration with other corporate functions, as well as establishing best practices for coordination and consistency at Group level.

The team operates in a hybrid model, combining office presence and remote working, while ensuring continuous support for both ordinary and extraordinary activities. The team has also consolidated internal collaboration practices and working routines that enable professionals to be independent, while remaining well-coordinated and able to respond promptly to the needs of the business.

The team is developing, also with the support of professionals within the organisation, automation tools to improve the efficiency of certain contract drafting, signing, filing, and classification activities, as well as a tool for managing basic Q&As for ordinary internal advisory activities.

Have you had any experiences during your career as a lawyer that stand out as particularly unique or interesting?

During my career – and especially at BIP – I have been involved in several management buyout transactions involving the company. This has been particularly interesting and challenging, as I had to consider both the interests of the parties involved (PE firm and the partnership of the equity partners) but also the ones of the company that was target of the transaction.

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

The modern in-house counsel needs to understand as much as possible all business dynamics, develop internal and external relationships and share with the team the culture of having a high level of professionalism but at the same time being flexible and reactive. By using tech tools now available, ensuring compliance and compatibility with laws and regulations is somehow easier, hence the need to integrate this with emotional intelligence and personal skills.