Morocco 2025
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Head of legal & internal control -Board secretary | Air Liquide Maroc
Legal Director and Compliance Officer | Ciments du Maroc - HeidelbergCement Group
Legal Advisor Maghreb Manager | ONEE (National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water)
SVP Corporate Affairs, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer | Orange
VP & Regional General Counsel South & Central Europe, France & Morocco | Capgemini
Legal and Governance Director | MADAËF
Dounia Charrat is a polyglot legal expert with over 25 years of experience in both private and public sectors, specializing in insurance, real estate and tourism. Renowned for her expertise...
Partner, and Co-Head of Investment Management | Yamed Group
General Secretary | Casablanca International Mediation and Arbitration Centre (CIMAC)
General Counsel | Office National de l'électricité et de l'eau potable
Head of Legal Department | Agence National de Régulation des Télecom (ANRT)
On behalf of The Legal 500, I am very pleased to present the inaugural GC Powerlist: Morocco 2025.
This edition celebrates general counsel and in-house lawyers who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in Morocco’s legal community. Through our research, we’ve had the privilege of engaging with leading legal professionals and uncovering their innovative strategies, leadership, and commitment to excellence.
As the legal landscape evolves, Morocco’s general counsel are redefining their roles. No longer confined to traditional legal tasks, they are integral to shaping corporate strategies, fostering resilience, and navigating challenges such as economic volatility, technological advancements, and regulatory changes.
The GC Powerlist: Morocco 2025 honours those who drive business success while upholding high standards of ethics and integrity. These leaders are setting new benchmarks in governance, diversity, digital transformation, and risk management.
Soukaïna Chefchaouni Moussaoui, Legal Director at Green of Africa, reflects on the fulfilment she finds in working within a sector that aligns with her values:
‘I am fortunate to work in a sector aligned with my values and on projects that make real sense. Working in a company that produces electricity and drinking water is very nourishing. The people I work with are driven by the same desire to see these projects come to life.’
This shared purpose within her team mirrors the broader approach of legal leaders in Morocco, where strategic collaboration and proactive risk management are key to success. As Othman Azzouzi, Head of Legal Francophone and Southern Africa at Network International, states:
‘The key to a successful collaboration with business partners lies in strategic alignment, proactive risk mitigation, and commercial pragmatism.’
The GC Powerlist: Morocco 2025 is proud to showcase these trailblazers, whose leadership is shaping the future of legal practice in Morocco.
The recent news that elite US firm Sullivan & Cromwell had apologised to a judge over AI hallucinations in a court filing prompted a collective wince from the legal profession.
But while some lawyers remain wary of AI, others are striking a more open-minded note, and at the LexisNexis AI Forum hosted this Wednesday (20 May) by Legal 500 and Legal Business, panelists argued that the risks are far outweighed by the opportunities.
Barbara Zapisetskaya, principal technology counsel at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, made the case that hallucinations and other potential pitfalls can be overcome with a shift in mindset.
‘What makes a difference,’ she said, ‘is empowering your lawyers to take responsibility for AI output – helping them become active AI operators, not just passive AI users. You have agency to decide whether you agree with the output or not.’
Zapisetskaya was among a line-up of leading in-house figures speaking on two panels, which covered everything from practical steps for AI implementation to the key decisions GCs need to be making in the coming months.
Financial Times general counsel Dan Guilford began by stressing the importance of building the right culture for AI adoption. In addition to proactively upskilling himself, Guilford talked about how he had implemented a voluntary weekly ‘show and tell’ meeting for team members to share successful use cases – or an exercise that became a gratifying measure of progress.
Other panelists discussed how increased in-house productivity is altering the dynamic with their external counsel.
While some see the use of AI by law firms as a precursor for reduced fees, Russell Davies, head of global operations for legal and compliance at Dentsu, said that faster results – however they are delivered – are something to be valued.
GSK assistant general counsel Anthony Kenny agreed, saying that while there was an expectation that external counsel would be utilising AI, the focus should be on the value of the output, rather than an overemphasis on identifying AI use as a justification to reduce fees.
Speaking on the second panel, MUFG EMEA general counsel James Morgan stressed the critical importance of education, noting that educating the C-suite on the advantages and risks of AI is just as important as enabling large in-house teams to use these tools.
Shanthini Satyendra, vice-chair of the AI Committee, Society for Computers & Law, CEO and founder of Manisain, offered a reminder of the importance of making the connection between tasks and the purpose behind them, extolling the virtues of identifying use cases for AI that can solve a meaningful problem.
Zapisetskaya concurred, adding that one of the most important tasks for GCs across the next six to twelve months is to create AI playbooks and templates, noting that ‘it is easy for lawyers to see problems – much harder for lawyers to see opportunities.’
There was also broad agreement among panellists that GCs should focus on upskilling their junior lawyers on AI, rather than – as some may expect – cutting back their workforce. As Satyendra summarised: ‘Some people are replacing human capital with AI without thinking about what’s required to make AI work. Retain your people and train them up.’
The panels were moderated by Emma Millington, head of the UK Lexis+ Finance Group, and LexisNexis director of segment management Stuart Greenhill.
