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

My role as in-house counsel for Philip Morris is hybrid role of legal, operational and management hats. As we move to deliver a smoke-free future, our team works in ambiguity as we seek to advise on novel products that legislation has not kept pace with. As such, our day-to-day requires creativity and agility, as we support our commercial business to bring smoke-free products to adult smokers, who would otherwise continue to smoke, in a responsible way.

One of the biggest projects I have worked on in the past 12 months has been the total revamp of all the tobacco and nicotine gantries in two large supermarket chains in the UK. This was novel in that we have transformed the age-old gantry to a digitally led, dynamic content focussed area where smokers can learn about better alternatives. It is the first project of its kind in the industry and required persistence and vision to see it through. We have brought smoke-free products to life in store and are helping consumers move away from smoking!

The other things we have been working on is looking at building brand equity and brand awareness for some of our smoke-free products. This has involved some large-scale activations and sponsorship activities for our nicotine pouch brand. For example, we recently had an interactive platform at the Wireless Festival, along with interactive media, offering legal-aged nicotine consumers the chance to trial products and switch away from cigarettes.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

As the GC, the first step is always to stay calm. Management looks to us when things go wrong, and the worst thing in a time of crises is when the lawyer is freaking out.

Our job is to understand the commercial goals and how the law fits around that. I prefer to take the approach of “commercial first, legal second,” which can be a bit controversial. I always remind my team that ultimately the business exists to trade and make money, so we have to find ways to do that as well as being the guardians of risk. However, you cannot be a ‘yes man’ in a highly regulated industry. Sometimes, you must have the courage to say no and take the internal “punches”. When this happens, we look for solutions and compromises: we always start with the question, “How do we make this happen?”.

But in the rare times where crises occurs and I have to say ‘no’, the business knows that it is because it’s ultimately our role to protect the longevity of the business. Transparency is key for organisational resilience – even if, sometimes, we become a punching bag. At that point, my role is to take that on, so my team can continue strong collaboration with other functions. Often, it is judgment that is key rather than pure technical law as the GC.

What is a cause, business or otherwise, that you are passionate about?

During my career, I have found a passion for shedding light on men’s mental health. Our societal understanding and recognition of mental health has improved significantly, but awareness of men’s mental health is still an emerging area. Men don’t have as much opportunity to discuss their mental health in a safe space, and drastic measures are often taken as a result. My own experience of friends and people in my professional career have increased my awareness of the issue, so now I try my best to start meaningful conversations in the workplace about mental health.

If at least one person in my company can see someone on the leadership team being open and vulnerable, and my vulnerability helps that person, then that is a great day for me. I have seen that the more I champion vulnerability and openness, the more people open up to me.

I am also the sponsor for our BAME Employee Resource Group. I am passionate about ensuring we have diversity in our office, and we are recruiting talent from a diverse pool. There are so many diverse talents in London that are often not reflected in corporate offices. It is all about access and I make this point in our boardroom every year. The reality is that you have to be in the room to have these conversations, because – purely through a lack of awareness – it’s not naturally at the forefront of people’s minds. By being in the room, I have found that leaders will ally with me to champion diversity and equity in organisations. I am proud to say that after two years of internally lobbying, the UK affiliate is the first affiliate in our world-wide organisation to have aspirational representation goals based on race. I think this has been my best achievement in my time at Philip Morris.