Team size: 10

Looking forward, what technological advancements do you feel will impact the role of in-house legal teams in the future the most?

I believe we will see more in-house legal teams adopting multi-functional messenger products as a way to conduct business and provide advice. With the benefit of technology (using the likes of Slack or Lark (the latter is used at TikTok)), cross-functional teams can operate faster and stay coordinated, wherever they are in the world. At TikTok, we have moved away from receiving legal requests by email and the respective formalities and delays that go with it. Now, communication is instantaneous, collaborating with multiple internal stakeholders at the same time is effortless, you become more in tune with business needs, and the product can be shared with external counsel to obtain support and information in a more efficient manner.

What is a cause, business related or otherwise, that you care about, and why?

I have worked extensively on the Pakistan market since my arrival at TikTok almost three years ago, and I have been lucky enough to visit the country on several occasions. Working closely with the Public Policy team, I have enjoyed being part of a number of community and educational based programs, such as #ExamReady, TikTok’s exciting partnership with Lahore University to develop 500 educational videos in chemistry, physics, and mathematics. This project is important to me as it will enable millions of Pakistani students to have access to online tutorials via TikTok, which will hopefully make a material difference to their higher education experience in Pakistan.

What would you say are the unique qualities required to be successful as an in-house lawyer in your industry?

I do not think it is specific to my industry, but being a good listener, helping to solve business problems, enabling the business to flow, and having a commercial mindset have all served me well in my career. I generally look for these qualities when I hire lawyers for my team, and personality is key. Will this person get on with multiple (internal client) personalities? Will they work well in a close-knit team? Also, importantly, do they have a good sense of humour?

What can law firms do to improve their service to the legal department?

For me, it is a fairly simple formula – respond quickly to instruction emails, be careful and accurate with invoices, provide clear advice and a commercial and practical opinion where possible, and be efficient, i.e., when advice can be provided quickly over the phone, let us not waste time with multiple emails and memos. We have built up a small but strong group of firms that follow these requirements.