An interview with Abidemi Ademola, Legal Director & Company Secretary at Guinness Nigeria Plc in Nigeria.
How would you describe the state of the GC Community in your region? How has it changed since you first moved in-house?
The state of the GC Community in Nigeria and, by extension Africa, can be described as thriving and growing in influence and impact. Increasing number of companies are realising and embracing the value of having in-house counsel and/or in-house legal teams to support day to day business operations and compliance.
When I first moved in-house, only the big companies – multinationals and publicly listed companies largely – were investing in in-house counsel and in-house legal teams. Others tend to depend on external Law firms to meet all their legal requirements. As the legal and regulatory environment becomes more volatile, uncertain, complex and sometimes ambiguous, companies are realising that they require corporate legal counsel on the go who wear both legal and business hats. They are therefore dedicating resources to invest in legal talents within their organisations.
There is, however, still a massive opportunity for companies to expand the in-house legal roles and maximise the skills, experience and potential impact of their in-house resources. Every Corporate Counsel worth his/her salt possesses robust skill sets, soft and hard, which organisations can benefit from as they expand the scope for impact within the organisation. While some organisations are latching on to these corporate legal resources, some are still hesitant and stuck in their old ways that they are just lawyers and may not necessarily be as business savvy as they would want them to be. I see this myth dissolving in the near future especially as the legal value add becomes more obvious and linkable to profitable and sustainable businesses.
Why is expanding your network important to you?
Building and growing one’s network is extremely critical to professional success. It is popularly said that a person’s network is his/her net worth.
Expanding one’s network provides unquantifiable advantages including knowledge and experience sharing, skills transfer, coaching and mentoring for greater impact and increased influence and referrals amongst others.
What kinds of connections or discussions would be most valuable to you?
As an in-house counsel, connections with critical business stakeholders such as Managing Directors/CEOs, business partners, other Corporate Counsel, external solicitors, professional and industry associations contacts, regulators, etc. would be extremely valuable and portend great benefits that are invaluable to one’s success as a corporate legal professional.
What do you want to achieve by collaborating with other GCs and senior in-house lawyers? Are there specific topics, challenges, or experiences you’d like to share or learn more about?
In collaborating with other GCs and senior in-house lawyers, the aim is to achieve camaraderie, build strong professional bonds/connections, create platforms to exchange ideas knowledge and experiences, mentor young and upcoming professionals to support them to succeed. Collaboration should also foster stronger advocacy with regulators and government agencies for a more enabling environment for businesses and industries.
