What leadership qualities do you prioritise when building or developing your legal team?

I prioritize commercial curiosity and the ability to see the bigger picture. I encourage my team to look beyond the black-letter law and understand the underlying business drivers – essentially cultivating their ability to “connect the dots” across departments and operate as strategic advisors. By fostering a culture that prioritizes these traits, we have been able to manage complex matters in-house, significantly reducing our reliance on external consultants while delivering high-value results.

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

To me, being strategic means moving from a “gatekeeper” to a business architect. It is the ability to identify transactional interdependencies others miss. A strategic General Counsel leverages the legal framework to create competitive advantages – whether through entity rationalization for efficiency or building contractual resilience against geopolitical shifts.