United Kingdom 2025 – GC Powerlist
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United Kingdom 2025

Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel

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  • Industries

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Alex Lindsay

General counsel - EMEA and international commerce | Hunter Douglas

Consumer products

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Alex O’Connell

General counsel and Company secretary | FeverTree Drinks plc

Food, beverages and tobacco

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Alex Peeke

Head of legal | Land Securities Group PLC

Industrials and real estate

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Alexander Simpson

Group general counsel and Company secretary | B&M European Value Retail S.A.

Consumer products

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Alexandra Smith

Chief legal officer/General counsel and Company secretary | QBE Insurance Group, International Division

Insurance

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Alfred Farha

General counsel, Europe | UST

Information technology

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Alison Yapp

Group general counsel and Company secretary | Compass Group PLC

Food, beverages and tobacco

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Amanda Gerrity

General counsel | Octopus Energy Group Limited

Energy and utilities

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Andrea Harris

Group chief counsel | WPP plc

Sports and media

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Andrew Hunter

Chief legal officer | Brown & Brown Europe

Insurance

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Andrew Yorston

General counsel | VodafoneThree

Telecommunication services

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Boudien Moerman

Chief legal officer and Company secretary | Klarna Group PLC

Financials

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Brenda (Tebogo) Albert

Legal Director Great Britain, Ireland and Netherlands | KONE plc

Industrial and real estate

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Camilla Harries

General counsel | CNA Hardy

Insurance

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Catherine Johnson

Group general counsel | London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG)

Financials

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Christian Fahey

Deputy general counsel (EMEA & APAC) | Ankura Consulting Group

Commercial and professional services

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Christopher Twemlow

General counsel and Company secretary | Allianz UK

Insurance

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Claire Singleton

General counsel and Head of strategic partnerships | Resolution Life Group

Financials

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Clare Wardle

General counsel and Company secretary | Coca-Cola Europacific Partners plc

Food, beverages and tobacco

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David Travis

General counsel and Group secretary | Skipton Group

Industrials and real estate

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Ed Bridge

UK & Ireland General counsel | Zurich Insurance

Insurance

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Ed Gelsthorpe

Group general counsel | BAE Systems plc

Industrials and real estate

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Ed Rash

General counsel | Burberry Group Plc

Consumer products

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Emily Martin

General counsel | Azumi Limited

Hotels

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Geraint Thomas

Executive director, Legal counsel | JLL

Industrials and real estate

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Heather Mitchell

Head of EMEA and Global chief risk officer | Carlyle

Financials

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Helen Barraclough

Group general counsel, Company secretary and Chief risk officer | Smith & Nephew plc

Healthcare

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James Darbyshire

Chief counsel | Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS)

Financials

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James Ford

SVP and Group general counsel, legal & compliance | GSK plc

Healthcare

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James Hanratty

General counsel | Trainline

Information technology

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James Kerton

EVP, General counsel and Company secretary | Convatec Group Plc

Healthcare

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Jamie Henderson

General counse | University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Healthcare

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Jennifer Beaumont

Director and Company secretary | Donald Insall Associates

Industrials and real estate

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Jo Saunders

Legal director, Europe | Tropicana Brands Group

Food, beverages and tobacco

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Joanna Nayler

General counsel and Compliance director | Ki

Insurance

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Kate Cheetham

Chief legal officer and Company secretary | Lloyds Banking Group plc (LBG)

Financials

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Kate Southwell

SVP, General counsel | Anglo American

Materials and mining

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Kendall Langford

General counsel and Senior partner | Patron Capital

Industrials and real estate

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Kirin Kalsi

General counsel, Compliance officer and Data protection officer | E.ON UK

Energy and utilities

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Kulpash Patel

Legal director, UK and RoI | Philip Morris International

Consumer products

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Lee Gage

Group general counsel and Company secretary | Practice Plus Group

Healthcare

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Louise Ruppel

General counsel | Barratt Developments plc

Industrials and real estate

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Maaike de Bie

Group general counsel and Company secretary | Vodafone Plc

Telecommunication services

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Mark Bennett

Director of legal affairs | Autotrader

Information technology

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Mark Gregory

General counsel | Rolls-Royce

Consumer products

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Mark Maurice-Jones

General counsel and Compliance officer | Nestlé

Food, beverages and tobacco

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Martine Nathan

General counsel | Super Group (SGHC) Limited

Sports and media

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Michael Sosso

EVP and Group general counsel | bp plc

Energy and utilities

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Monica Risam

Group general counsel | Starling Group

Financials

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Neil Harrison

Group general counsel | Aviva

Insurance

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Nicki Schroeder

Group general counsel | Reach PLC

Sports and media

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Nicola Burns

Assistant chief counsel | The Walt Disney Company

Sports and media

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Nigel Davenport

General counsel | Liberty International Insurance

Insurance

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Nigel Paterson

General counsel and Company secretary | Currys plc

Consumer products

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Noor Al Naeme

General counsel | Not On The High Street

Consumer products

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Paul Lister

Director of legal services and Company secretary | Associated British Foods plc

Food, beverages and tobacco

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Paul Stebbings

VP, General counsel – Europe | Tate & Lyle Sugars

Food, beverages and tobacco

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Phebe Hemmings

Group head of legal and compliance | Barratt Redrow PLC

Industrials and real estate

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Rani Wynn

General counsel | LiveScore Group

Hotels

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Rebecca Danby

Assistant general counsel, sustainability & ESG | Haleon PLC

Healthcare

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Rob Browning

Head of legal | Gardiner & Theobald

Commercial and professional services

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Rushad Abadan

Group general counsel | Aberdeen Group plc

Financials

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Sabine Chalmers

Group general counsel, Director of regulatory affairs and Company secretary | BT Group

Telecommunication services

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Sarah Clements

General counsel | International Consolidated Airlines Group

Transport and infrastructure

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Sarah Rosser

General counsel solution & services group, global contracting team and legal operations | Lenovo

Information technology

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Sharmila Sylvester

General counsel | Sizewell C (SZC)

Energy and utilities

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Simon Croxford

General counsel, investment bank, non-core & legacy and EMEA Region | UBS

Financials

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Simone Newton

Head of legal, compliance and Company secretary | Allied World Managing Agency Limited

Insurance

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Sonya Branch

General counsel and Executive director | Bank of England

Financials

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Spencer Collins

EVP, Chief legal officer and Head of corporate development | Arm

Information technology

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Stephanie Lopes

Chief legal officer | Volt

Financials

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Stephanie Pagni

Group chief legal and administrative officer | Monzo

Financials

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Stephen Godsell

General counsel and Company secretary | Guardian Media Group plc

Sports and media

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Stephen Shapiro

Group general counsel | Barclays PLC

Financials

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Sunita Kaushal

Group general counsel and Company secretary | Samworth Brothers Limited

Food, beverages and tobacco

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Terra Potter

General counsel | Dalberg

Materials and mining

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Tom McSorley

General counsel | NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (NATO DIANA)

Industrials and real estate

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Vicki Bradin

General counsel and Company secretary | The Sage Group plc

Information technology

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Walter Thomas

General counsel | Storm Technologies

Information technology

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Yara Owayyed

General counsel | YouLend

Financials

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Adrian Morris

Group general counsel | Haleon PLC

Consumer products

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Adrian Ross

General counsel | J C Bamford Excavators Ltd (JCB)

Materials and mining

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Andrew Fleming

General counsel and Company secretary | British Airways

Transport and infrastructure

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Anthony Pickard-Rose

Group general counsel | Imperial Brands PLC

Food, beverages and tobacco

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Bob Hoyt

Chief legal officer | HSBC Holdings PLC

Financials

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Catheryn O’Rourke

General counsel and Company secretary | Reckitt

Consumer products

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Claire Canning

Group general counsel | Sky

Telecommunication services

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Claire Denton

Chief general counsel and Company secretary | Capita

Industrials and real estate

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David Cox

General counsel | Rightmove

Information technology

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Denis Whelan

General counsel, Europe and Eurasia & Africa | Chubb

Insurance

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Edward Hughes

Senior UK counsel | Estee Lauder Group of Companies

Consumer products

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Emma Slatter

Chief officer, legal, regulatory and compliance | Visa

Financials

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Emma Whyte

General counsel and Company secretary | ASOS

Information technology

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Hugo Martin

Director of legal and public affairs and Company secretary             | Evri

Transport and infrastructure

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Isabelle Deschamps

Chief legal, governance and corporate affairs officer | Rio Tinto

Materials and mining

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James Peirson

Group general counsel | Nationwide Building Society

Financials

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Jessica Winter

General counsel | Wise

Financials

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Joanne Averiss

SVP, General counsel, Europe and Sub Sahara Africa | PepsiCo

Food, beverages and tobacco

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Joe Souto

General counsel - corporate and customers | EDF Energy

Energy and utilities

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John Devine

General counsel | Newcastle United Football Club

Sports and media

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Jonathan Calow

Group legal director | Care UK

Healthcare

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Justine Campbell

Chief legal officer | National Grid

Energy and utilities

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Kyla Mullins

General counsel and Company secretary | ITV

Sports and media

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Liz Tanner

Group general counsel and Company secretary | SSE

Energy and utilities

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Maria Versellona

Chief legal officer and Company secretary | Unilever

Consumer products

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Michael Smith

General counsel UK&I and EMEA | Experian

Information technology

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Neil Tomlinson

Group general counsel | Schroders

Financials

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Nick Folland

General counsel and Company secretary | Marks and Spencer

Consumer products

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Nick Grant

General counsel and Company secretary | Sainsbury's

Consumer products

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Nicolette Henfrey

EVP, General counsel and Company secretary | IHG Hotels & Resorts

Hotels

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Patricia Corbet

General counsel | BMI Group

Materials and mining

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Penny Dudley

Chief legal officer | Bupa

Healthcare

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Philipa Bounds

Chief legal officer | Shell

Energy and utilities

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Raj Roy

General counsel - UK & Ireland | Centrica

Energy and utilities

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Randall Ingber

General counsel and Company secretary | Diageo

Food, beverages and tobacco

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Rebecca Mills

Group general counsel and Company secretary | easyJet

Transport and infrastructure

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Richard Peachey

VP, General counsel | Ball Corporation

Materials and mining

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Sarah Jones

General counsel | BBC

Sports and media

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Sharon Blackman

Managing director, Global head of services legal | Citi

Financials

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Simon Cliff

General counsel | City Football Group

Sports and media

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Stephanie Wallace

General counsel | Metro Bank (UK)

Financials

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William Luker

Chief legal officer and General counsel | NatWest Group

Financials

I am delighted to announce the launch of Legal 500’s GC Powerlist UK: 2025. This year’s edition celebrates the continued commitment, dedication and achievements of a stellar cohort of in-house counsel. It is an honour to recognise the vital contribution of in-house teams to today’s complex legal and business environment.

And the market in which today’s in-house counsel operate is constantly evolving. ‘A big trend over recent years has been the very high level (and faster pace) of uncertainty and disruption’, observes Rushad Abadan, Group General Counsel at Aberdeen Group plc. ‘Scenario planning is important, but the world is getting harder to predict… What was the best strategy yesterday, may not be the right strategy tomorrow’, cautions Michael Sosso, EVP and Group General Counsel at bp plc.

Such a dynamic environment requires in-house counsel to continuously adapt. ‘Strong resilience and flexibility are key skills to a sustainable career in a fast-paced in-house counsel environment,’ emphasises Simone Girson Newton, Head of Legal, Compliance & Company Secretary at Allied World Managing Agency Limited.

The role of general counsel itself, therefore, continues to develop. In-house lawyers ‘are not merely providing advice; you are acting as a Counsel to all peers, a guide who is tasked with providing comprehensive advice in areas far beyond the legal framework alone’, notes Sonya Branch, General Counsel at the Bank of England.

More and more, in-house counsel are required to act as more than simply legal advisors. ‘Modern in-house counsel must be true business partners’, says Nicki Schroeder, Group General Counsel at Reach PLC. Claire Singleton, General Counsel and Head of Strategic Partnerships at Resolution Life Group agrees: ‘Modern in-house counsel need to have the appetite to really understand the business. It is not possible to be a successful in-house lawyer without being able to tailor advice to the specific strategy and goals of the company’.

Singleton goes on to point out the need for agility in such a rapidly changing landscape: ‘modern in-house counsel also need to be open to and have the skills to embrace technology and changing practices’. And the rise of new technology continues to be a trend on which in-house counsel must keep a careful eye. ‘Generative AI is one of the most transformative forces we’re seeing’, notes Vicki Bradin, General Counsel and Company Secretary at The Sage Group plc.

Noor Al Naeme, General Counsel at Not On The High Street, warns that ‘in-house lawyers should be mindful not just of the legal risks with AI, but also of the risks of not using AI’.  James Ford, SVP and Group General Counsel at GSK plc, echoes this idea: ‘It is well understood that AI will not replace lawyers per se but may replace those lawyers that don’t use AI where it could make us more efficient.’

Striking the right balance is essential. In-house teams are called upon to use AI to streamline AI, while keeping in mind risks such as overreliance, ethical use and data concerns. ‘It’s not the technology itself that defines the outcome – it’s how we use it’, reminds Boudien Moerman, Chief Legal Officer and Company Secretary at Klarna. She adds: ‘AI requires human oversight, scrutiny, and, above all, judgment’.

Geraint Thomas, Executive Director and Legal Counsel at JLL, agrees: ‘our one advantage in this challenge is the human factor’. He goes on to remind us that ‘we must remember to relate and interact with our colleagues and clients as humans with empathy’.

It is perhaps reassuring to see that empathy remains at the forefront of the in-house counsel’s mind, even in the face of fast-changing and often unpredictable legal, business and political landscapes. ‘Demonstrating empathy fosters trust and strengthens relationships across the organisation,’ points out Camilla Harries, General Counsel at CNA Hardy.

Amanda Gerrity, General Counsel at Octopus Energy Group Limited, agrees. While ‘in-house lawyers today must be embedded business partners’, she notes, ‘empathy and leadership are equally important’. Indeed, these attributes contribute to the effectiveness of in-house counsel as business partners, enhancing ‘the ability to tailor advice to the needs and pressures of different stakeholders, from frontline teams to the boardroom’, Harries concludes.

As this year’s GC Powerlist: UK clearly shows, the modern in-house counsel is far more than a legal advisor: they are strategic partners, tech savvy and, perhaps most importantly, empathetic leaders at the core of their organisations.

GC Powerlist: Italy 2025

The GC Powerlist Italy 2025 took place on 7 October 2025 at the elegant Hotel Excelsior Gallia in Milan, bringing together Italy’s most distinguished general counsel and in-house legal leaders for an evening of recognition, insight, and networking. Organised by The Legal 500, the event continued its tradition of celebrating outstanding legal professionals who have demonstrated innovation, influence, and strategic impact within their organizations.

Deloitte Legal, the exclusive sponsor of the evening, played a prominent role in supporting the event and reinforcing its commitment to the evolving in-house legal community. The evening opened with a welcome from the organisers, setting the tone for an engaging celebration of legal excellence in the Italian corporate landscape. Senior legal executives from a wide range of industries gathered to reflect on the growing responsibilities and strategic value of in-house counsel, especially in a business environment increasingly shaped by regulation, sustainability, and digital transformation.

The program included remarks from Francesco Paolo Bello, Managing Partner at Deloitte Legal, who spoke about the pivotal role that general counsel play in driving governance, innovation, and long-term value creation within companies.

Throughout the evening, honorees were recognised for their leadership and contributions to their respective industries, with the awards segment highlighting the diversity and depth of talent within the Italian legal sector. Guests were also given the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations over a formal reception, fostering collaboration and community across the legal profession.

The GC Powerlist Italy 2025 not only underscored the significance of in-house legal teams in today’s corporate environment, but also strengthened the relationship between legal advisors and business leaders. Deloitte Legal’s involvement added weight to the evening’s message: that the future of legal practice lies in strategic partnership, innovation, and purpose-driven leadership.