Career Biography:

Jo Saunders is a seasoned legal executive with a career spanning over two decades in corporate and commercial law. Currently serving as Legal Director for Europe at Tropicana Brands Group, Saunders sits on the European senior leadership team, guiding the business through complex legal landscapes with a solution-focused, strategic mindset. Her work supports the European business in meeting its growth ambitions and navigating regulatory challenges competitively and confidently.

Saunders joined Tropicana Brands Group during a transformative period following its separation from PepsiCo and acquisition by PAI Partners. As part of a lean but high-impact in-house legal team, she has been busy shaping the legal function in Europe in a newly independent organisation, embedding a culture of proactive risk management and commercial agility, all whilst juggling a broad to-do list that covers everything from commercial contracts, regulatory, corporate governance, data privacy, competition law compliance, employment and advertising law and anything else that lands on her desk!

Prior to her current role, Saunders served as a Lead Counsel at Flora Food Group, where she supported the international separation of the business following its sale by Unilever to KKR. In this role, she navigated the complexities of transitioning a global FMCG brand into private equity ownership, providing legal guidance across jurisdictions and functions to help establish the legal foundations for Flora’s independent operations and future growth.

Saunders’ earlier career was built in private practice, where she spent over 20 years as a corporate and commercial lawyer in magic circle and other leading international and national law firms. During this time, she advised on high-value M&A transactions, joint ventures, governance frameworks, and commercial contracts across a range of sectors, with a particular focus on IT, data, insurance and international business. Her depth of experience in both transactional and advisory work laid the groundwork for her transition into in-house leadership roles, where she found her niche.

Throughout her career, Saunders has been recognised for her pragmatic approach, strategic insight, and ability to build trust across diverse stakeholder groups. She champions legal as a strategic partner — one that enables innovation, supports growth, protects value and occasionally reminds people to read the small print.