About

The legal team at Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) can look back on the past year as a particularly successful one. With ‘almost all’ outstanding and long-standing litigation and dispute matters resolved, much needed legal resources have been reallocated to further productive work centred on business support. In terms of their approach to litigation matters, the Alba legal team has also undertaken somewhat of a redirection, as they now look to settle disputes ‘amicably’, with litigation seen as a ‘last resort option’. This has had positive departmental effects on economy, as the funding saved here can now be put into more proactive endeavours. This is all the more important for the team given the general slump in global aluminium prices, which has had a knock-on effect on departmental budgets across Alba’s business units. In response to this, the legal team has put in place a comprehensive cost monitoring program aimed at maximising the efficiency of the team. Despite these cost challenges, the team’s initiatives have freed up enough resources for the team to expand their talent base by recruiting further members, which is a testament to the team’s willingness and ability to adapt and make positive improvements even in adverse circumstances. The legal department maintains strong ties with the management element of the business, a relationship that has been built up over time. Overseen by head of the legal team, Steve Grobler, this has seen the legal department develop from being seen merely as a ‘watchdog’ focusing on minimising legal risk, to a valued business partner.