What are the most significant cases, projects and/or transactions that you and/or your legal team have recently been involved in?

Over the past year, my focus has been on three critical strategic pillars, all underpinned by rigorous operational leadership.

In legislative advocacy and strategic compliance, I oversaw the culmination of a five-year advocacy strategy on South Africa’s transport laws, actively contributing to the shaping of legislation. Following its finalisation, I guided the business through complex interpretations, designing unique operational frameworks that balance strict statutory compliance with business continuity.

In enabling innovation, as the legal lead for the launch of Uber Moto and Uber Go Electric, I conducted detailed regulatory analyses of traffic and licensing legislation. By identifying commercial opportunities and mitigating risks, I helped design legally robust product features and third-party partnerships, ensuring successful deployment.

Beyond these initiatives, I drive the legal function’s operational excellence. This includes complex contract negotiation, oversight of external law firms, active mentorship of junior team members, rigorous supervision of brand compliance, and management of the company’s litigation docket.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

In the volatile South African operating context, I approach crisis management through two distinct lenses: exerting immediate order and identifying strategic opportunity.

First, I act as an anchor of stability by implementing “legal triage.” This involves establishing a single source of truth to counter panic, defining clear legal guardrails to prevent operational paralysis, and ruthlessly prioritising risks to focus resources on threats to our licence to operate.

Second, I view instability as a stress test that reveals opportunities for growth. Rather than purely defensive manoeuvring, I use these periods to advocate for change, whether through overhauling internal compliance architectures or deepening stakeholder trust by better understanding their goals and ambitions. By converting disruption into a catalyst for improvement, I ensure the business does not merely survive the crisis but emerges ‘crisis-proof’ — operationally stronger and more robust, from both a compliance and legal standpoint, than before.

Have you had any experiences during your career as a lawyer that stand out as particularly unique or interesting?

In my career, the most impactful moments have been those where I can see the tangible results of my work. One particular example occurred while I was in practice at a law firm and was assigned a pro deo matter. In that case, I assisted my clients, who had recently lost their parents, in keeping their home. The experience reaffirmed to me that, while the law may superficially be seen as a mere fiction, in reality its application can have a profound and lasting impact.

Based on your experiences in the past year, are there any trends in the legal or business world that you are keeping an eye on that you think other in-house lawyers should be mindful of?

In my experience, there is a growing trend of in-house lawyers being less ‘lawyers who advise the business on how to achieve its goals’ and more ‘business operators with legal expertise.’ While the distinction may appear superficial, the real-world impact is significant. Being, and being seen as, integral to the operations of the business means that in-house lawyers are now required to possess a skillset that extends beyond the mere knowledge and application of the law. For example, in-house lawyers must understand the intricacies of the businesses they support, as well as have a solid grasp of people management – skills not typically taught in law school.