Team size: 53

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

AI and IT transformations have been key projects within the team, as well as the transformation of Currys customer databases into a ‘single customer view’ to support improved, targeted customer engagement and marketing and a new enhanced customer loyalty programme.

We agreed a new, long term credit agreement with BNP which underpins c.25% of UK product sales and a new mobile phone insurance underwriting agreement with Aviva.

I supported the business’s preparation for the Government’s new Employment Rights Act, including engagement with the extensive consultations at Bill stage and provided legal support to the triennial revaluation of Currys UK pensions scheme.

I re-designed the Business Continuity plans and response procedures in the face of enhanced external risks to the security and integrity of the company’s operations and built an Internal Controls function to meet the requirements of Provision 29 of the UK Governance Code

We also undertook recruitment of new CEO and two new NEDs.

Please provide a brief description of any internal transformation/development projects within your legal team over the last twelve months.

The key transformation project within the Legal team in 2026 (and the wider Currys organisation) has been focused on improving the company’s efficiency and effectiveness through the usage of AI within its operations. We have set up dedicated legal support to meet the increased demands for advice on AI and have developed new AI Usage policies and governance processes as a compliance framework to facilitate the assessment and adoption of AI tools. Claude (Anthropic) has been made available to colleagues within corporate functions (including Legal) alongside Microsoft Co-Pilot.

Within Legal, Governance & Risk, we have established an AI Pioneers group to share best practice and use cases for AI within the function and, further to help embed AI adoption, each LGR monthly team meeting includes an AI ‘show and tell’ of how AI is being brought into the team’s workflows. Early AI use cases in LGR include automating report generation and compliance KPI trend analysis. We are also trailing AI contracting software and have procured an end-to-end AI procurement tool to manage contract tendering and procurement and the onboarding and in-life management of external suppliers.

What are the most important attributes of the modern GC and what advice would you give to those aspiring to be an in-house lawyer?

The modern GC is a trusted executive embedded in the management and decision-making of the organisation, contributing to the firm’s strategy and objectives, with a deep understanding of the business context in which it operates and of where its most significant opportunities and risks lie. The modern GC needs a strategic mindset, to ‘see around the corners’ anticipating change and threats, whilst ensuring balanced decisions are made which ensure the firm’s long term profitability and sustainability. Pace of thought to match the speed of change in the external environment, as well as a learning mindset which looks for continuous improvement, are now pre-requisites for an effective GC.

How do you use AI within your legal team to improve efficiency while maintaining quality, governance and integrity? How do you think AI will impact in-house legal functions more widely?

Within Legal, Governance & Risk we have established an AI Pioneers group to share best practice and use cases for AI within the function and, further to help embed AI adoption, each LGR monthly team meeting includes an AI ‘show and tell’ of how AI is being brought into the team’s workflows. Early AI use cases in LGR include automating report generation and compliance KPI trend analysis. We are also trailing AI contracting software and have procured an end-to-end AI procurement tool to manage contract tendering and procurement and the onboarding and in-life management of external suppliers.

What are the key risks or challenges your legal team is preparing for over the next twelve months?

Hyper competition within the retail electricals sector caused by the arrival of new entrants is a key challenge.

Rising electricals prices for core products due to shortage in key component chips, leading in turn to pressure on revenues, and supply chain disruption of shipping routes via the Gulf, adding cost and impacting surety of supply, will also have to be monitored.

Other risks to prepare for include the ongoing threat of external actors to the integrity of IT systems through cyber-attack and the potential for AI to change business models radically, for example in the growth of agentic commerce and the corresponding need to maintain speed and agility in the organisation to meet these challenges.