“Communicating risks and recommendations in plain language that business units can understand, while avoiding legal jargon, is key to building trust and becoming an effective business partner.”

An interview with Hakan Bekiroglu, Director, Legal & Compliance at Yildiz Holding in Turkiye.

In today’s everchanging world I tend to imagine companies like “wirewalkers” carefully making their way across a high, narrow rope suspended above the ground. Every strategic decision, a step forward for that matter, requires balance (calculating legal risks), precision (being ready for possible legal changes) and tremendous focus (understanding the strategy and aligning that with legal landscape). We, in-house legal professionals, best know that the “wirewalker” is never free from the possibility of a misstep.

And yet there we are, beneath the thin line, stretched wide and strong; the safety net – the legal function.

The challenges along that “corporate journey” are still there but legal stands to catch the company should it fall, enabling it to bounce back and continue marching.

What are the biggest external forces or trends currently shaping your role as General Counsel, and how are you responding to them?

The role of the in-house counsel is being fundamentally reshaped by several existing and new trends. Responding to these dynamics with a proactive and strategic mindset is the cornerstone of modern legal leadership. I’ll try to highlight few:

• Constantly changing regulations at both global and local levels continue to present a significant challenge for us. Steering a big ship into course requires a lot of work! The increasing regulatory scrutiny across multiple jurisdictions requires legal teams to maintain a proactive compliance program and continuous monitoring of global and local regulations, enhance usage of legal tech and to build strong cross-functional internal teams to ensure integrated governance.
• Tech surge and Artificial Intelligence; no, we are losing our jobs (yet!) recent exponential developments present both an opportunity and a risk for legal. On one hand, AI offers the potential to increase efficiency and automate routine tasks. On the other, it introduces new risks related to data privacy, intellectual property, and ethics. Therefore, establishing clear policies for the responsible adoption of AI and managing its associated risks has become a top priority.
• As digitalisation accelerates, so does the risk of cyber-attacks. This is a very new topic for Turkish in-house, as the Cybersecurity Law has been recently implemented. We are now working on how to be prepared for the legal ramifications of a potential breach and play an active role in developing the company’s cybersecurity strategy.

How are you balancing the increasing demands of legal risk management with the expectation to drive business value and strategic insight?

It has always been and still is a delicate balance between the duty to manage legal risk and the expectation to help the company achieve its strategic goals and increase business value. This balance requires shifting the perception of the legal department from the “department of no” to a “value-creation partner.” Understanding not just the legal risks but also the company’s financial goals, competitive landscape, and strategic vision enhances the value of legal advice. Thinking like a business leader allows for a better assessment of the operational and financial impact of legal decisions. When presenting an issue to the management, adopting an approach that says, “Here is the legal risk, here is the business opportunity, and here is a roadmap that balances both,” helps integrate the legal perspective into the decision-making process.

Last, but not least, working closely with other departments facilitates the early identification of potential legal issues and the development of solutions that align with business objectives. Communicating risks and recommendations in plain language that business units can understand, while avoiding legal jargon, is key to building trust and becoming an effective business partner.

This approach prevents the legal department from being seen merely as a cost centre and allows it to become a strategic asset that supports the company’s growth and innovation.

What’s one lesson or insight from your in-house journey that you wish you had known earlier and would share with a fellow GC today?

At the risk of sounding cliché, I still believe that one of the most valuable lessons from an in-house journey is that success lies not only in legal expertise but in the ability to build relationships, establish trust, and understand the business to its core. However, the insight I wish I’d known earlier is that these skills are the foundation for the next, more critical step: transforming the legal function from a reactive advisor into a proactive and strategic partner. The goal is to anticipate future risks and opportunities, helping to shape business strategy rather than just responding to it. Consequently, I learned that focusing on ‘value-adding issues’ becomes exponentially more powerful when you can demonstrate that value with data. Using metrics to show how legal drives efficiency and mitigates risk solidifies our role as an indispensable business driver.