What are the most significant cases and transactions that you have been involved in over the past year?

Over the past year, I have had the privilege of overseeing two significant acquisitions in Morocco and Algeria, which were pivotal to our company’s inorganic growth strategy. These acquisitions were strategically designed to strengthen ECCBC position as a key player in these markets. My responsibilities spanned the entire transaction process. Post-closing, I led the integration of the acquired entities into the company’s perimeter from a legal perspective. This involved implementing cost-saving initiatives and driving operational transformation to improve efficiency across the newly integrated entities.

What innovations have you made to the way your legal team works in the past year?

One of the most significant innovations in our operations during 2024 was the introduction of a digitalized contract management system. While digital tools for legal operations are becoming more common, this represents a major step forward for us and marks the beginning of our integration into the company’s broader digitalization journey. Indeed, we have established clear objectives for further enhancing our operations by integrating additional tools and technologies, which will help streamline our processes even further while ensuring that we continue providing value to the business.

Based on your experience, what is the key to collaborating successfully with business partners?

A thorough understanding of the business and its goals is essential to effectively support internal clients, ensuring alignment in objectives. It is important to speak the same language as our clients.

It is also important to build strong relationships with business partners, foster smoother workflows and more efficient problem-solving. Allocating time to explain legal complexities helps internal clients better understand risks and make more informed decisions, while also demonstrating the relevance of the legal function to the business, especially as we often face challenges in quantifying the financial value of our work.

Additionally, maintaining a solution-oriented mindset, openness to new perspectives, and adaptability to different ideas ensures consistent contributions to achieving business objectives.

Are the effects of AI on the legal world overplayed, or underplayed?

I believe the effects of AI on the legal profession are somewhat underplayed, even though the pace of change is accelerating. While many legal professionals are still in the process of evaluating and understanding how to leverage AI effectively in managing legal operations, its potential impact is undeniable. From our side, in 2025, we will prioritize integrating AI into our contract management tool, elevating its capabilities to manage risks more effectively. Additionally, we plan to explore how to capitalize on AI within our legal operations, aiming to develop a clear roadmap for its integration and unlock its full potential to improve both decision-making and overall operational efficiency.