Frode Lillebakken – GC Powerlist
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Norway 2025

Information technology

Frode Lillebakken

General counsel | Gelato ASA

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Norway 2025

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Frode Lillebakken

General counsel | Gelato ASA

Team size: 4

Spotlight on: Gelato

Gelato represents the world’s largest network of production and logistics partners and produces personalised products in 32 countries, reaching over 5 billion people. Gelato bolsters local economies and communities providing technology transforming global manufacturing from centralised mass production to local, on-demand production. With Gelato, items are only made when someone orders them—perfectly matching supply with demand and embracing local manufacturing. Instead of an item being made in China and shipped to a consumer in California, it will be made on demand locally in California, significantly cutting transportation emissions and eliminating the need for carbon-heavy shipping methods like air freight. With 3D printing, these benefits will be amplified enabling precise, on-demand manufacturing of goods with significantly reduced material waste.

What are the key projects that you have been involved in over the past 12 months?

Over the past year, I’ve been deeply involved in the legal strategy behind Gelato’s transformation into a SaaS company through the launch of Gelato Connect. This marks a fundamental add on in our business model, from our transaction-based platforms like Optimalprint and Gelato Create, to offering a scalable software solution directly to print production partners.

The transition has been complex, requiring the development of new SaaS contracts, service level agreements, and data protection frameworks across 30+ countries. It also involved navigating IP challenges, ensuring our technology is protected while remaining interoperable with third-party systems. The amazing team I have in Legal and Procurement made this transition possible.

Gelato Connect is a major step forward — enabling smarter, greener, and more efficient local production globally. Supporting this transformation has been a key legal and strategic focus for me this past year.

What do you think are the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel to possess?

For a modern in-house counsel – especially in the tech space – legal expertise is just the starting point. Today, we’re expected to be strategic partners, fluent in both the business and the technology that drives it. I see the most important attributes as:

Business acumen: understanding the commercial landscape, product strategy, and growth levers of the company is essential to delivering relevant, actionable legal advice.

Technological fluency: especially in a company like Gelato, operating at the intersection of software and global production, legal must understand the tech stack — from SaaS to data privacy and IP in digital environments.

Strategic risk management: it’s not about saying “no”- it’s about finding paths forward, balancing opportunity and risk in a way that enables innovation.

Clear communication: legal must be a translator – taking complex legal issues and breaking them down to simple terms for fast-moving products, tech and commercial teams.

Integrity and ethical leadership: being a trusted voice in the room means leading with integrity, especially when the stakes are high, or the path isn’t obvious.

What do you think sets you apart from other in-house counsel?

What sets me apart is my ability to operate at the intersection of law, technology, and business strategy.

I’ve led the legal side of Gelato’s transformation into a SaaS company — a fundamental add-on in the business model that demanded new legal infrastructure across contracts, data, IP, and global operations. That’s not just about legal theory — it’s deep operational execution.

I take a proactive, solution-oriented approach, focusing on enabling growth and helping the business move faster, not just mitigating risk. I thrive in complex, fast-changing environments. Whether it’s launching a new global product or redefining partner agreements for a SaaS world, I’m comfortable navigating ambiguity and bringing structure to change.

Finally, I bring a global perspective, grounded in day-to-day experience working across continents and legal systems, which is key to scaling a tech company with international ambitions.

Frode Lillebakken - Norway 2017

Vice president, legal | Telia

Frode Lillebakken was general counsel of Tele2 in Norway when it merged with Swedish telecommunications company TeliaSonera in 2015 and played a big part in overseeing the merger and subsequent...

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