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

Over the past year (approximately), the legal department of the Trussardi brand has been involved in a number of transactions, covering various matters – from the restructuring of the distribution network (involving the replacement of almost the entire sales force), to negotiations for a potential local joint venture in the United Arab Emirates (confidential information), to the acquisition of the business unit responsible for distribution activities in Russia – a highly confidential and complex operation due to the interplay of issues relating to Russian civil law and international sanctions. A delicate process is also underway to finalise several transactions relating to the brand in various jurisdictions, both active and passive. In particular, one (highly confidential) transaction aims to settle a dispute with a foreign counterparty that has been ongoing for several decades.

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

Crisis management can no longer be a purely legal exercise. My approach rests on five interconnected pillars.

First, every legal assessment starts with geopolitical context. Sanctions regimes, export controls, political instability and regulatory fragmentation now shape legal risk as much as case law does. A General Counsel who reads only statutes, not the world, is already behind.

Second, resilience is built through multidisciplinary collaboration, not legal isolation. I bring together Legal, Compliance, Finance, Operations, Communications and Security into a single decision-making structure from day one of any crisis. No function holds the full picture alone; the value comes from combining perspectives before decisions are made, not after.

Third, complexity demands depth, not shortcuts. Every scenario requires a clearly mapped exit strategy, co-designed with all relevant functions, so that a crisis becomes a managed transition rather than a prolonged operational block. Speed without rigor creates new risks; rigor without speed creates paralysis. Both must coexist.

Fourth, Legal must sit permanently at the strategic table. In today’s volatile environment, excluding Legal from business decisions is no longer a viable governance model — legal foresight must inform strategy in real time, not validate it retroactively.

Finally, as General Counsels we must challenge our own certainties. This means adopting new mental models, embracing ambiguity, and thinking beyond traditional legal frameworks. Every legal decision should be treated as one deliberate building block toward long-term business resilience — not merely a risk-mitigation exercise, but a genuine contribution to organisational strength and continuity.

General counsel often speak of the need to be strategic to reach the pinnacle of the profession. What does being strategic mean to you?

Being strategic does not mean just knowing the law better than anyone else, and that’s it. Being strategic means understanding the business as deeply as the CEO or CFO does, so that legal advice becomes a driver of value creation, not just a shield against risk.

A strategic General Counsel identifies legal, regulatory and geopolitical trends before they become urgent problems, giving the business time to adapt rather than scramble.

Strategic means also understanding revenue drivers, competitive dynamics and long-term company objectives well enough to frame legal issues in business terms.

Being strategic means also (and this is a game changer) earning a seat at the table because your judgment is trusted, not because your function is entitled to it. That trust comes from consistently connecting legal reasoning to business outcomes.

Ultimately, being strategic means shifting identity: from “the lawyer who says no” to a business leader who happens to have legal expertise — someone whose judgment shapes not just what is legal, but what is possible.

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

Culture is not built through policies alone — it is built through consistent behaviour, starting at the top. As General Counsel, I see my role as translating ESG and compliance from abstract obligations into lived practice across the organisation.

First, leadership by example is essential. The Board and senior management must visibly embody the same standards expected from employees. Culture cascades top-down; if leadership treats ESG as a checkbox, so will everyone else.

Second, ESG and compliance must be embedded into business processes, not layered on top of them. This means integrating ESG criteria into, for example, procurement, , supplier due diligence and risk management, you name it — so that ethical conduct becomes part of “how a company works,” not a separate compliance exercise.

Third, communication must be continuous and accessible. Legal jargon can sometimes alienate; clear, practical guidance empowers. I favour an approach that values the “why” behind ESG commitments.

All in all, General Counsel must act as a cultural bridge — connecting Legal, Compliance, HR, Sustainability and Business units around a shared narrative. When legal expertise is combined with cross-functional collaboration, ESG stops being a mandate imposed from outside and becomes a value genuinely owned by the entire organisation.