Experts task professionals on digital tools for organisational growth
By Adebola Adegoke
Legal experts have charged legal and governance professionals to embrace digital tools to provide strategic value to engender organisational growth.
They made the call on Thursday during Kaizen Academy’s webinar series with the theme: “Setting Yourself Apart: Unlocking Value as Company Secretary, In-House and General Counsel”.
Kaizen Academy is a consulting firm that provides corporate strategy, compliance and governance advisory services.
The Company Secretary, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Mrs Cecilia Madueke, urged legal professionals to embrace digital transformation and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Madueke urged them to build their digital competence through online learning and hands-on experience.
“Tools like AI can boost legal research, documentation, and data-driven strategy, making legal teams more responsive and effective,” she said.
Madueke highlighted the tangible benefits of digital adoption, including cost savings, improved stakeholder engagement, and faster decision-making.
She, however, warned of the risks that came with digital tools, such as cybersecurity breaches and data misuse.
Also speaking, the Company Secretary, Ninety One, South Africa, Ms Nana Aston, warned against blind reliance and insisted on cross-checking AI-generated insights against actual legal texts.
Aston recommended setting up an ecosystem of trusted legal and regulatory information sources, such as alerts from leading law firms and updates from regulatory bodies.
“To remain relevant, professionals should pursue continuous learning through accredited courses, masterclasses, and cross-border legal roundtables,” she said.
Dr Denis Peterson, the General Counsel and Company Secretary, Mercedes-Benz, South Africa, noted that in-house counsels were uniquely positioned within the business to offer relevant, integrated solutions.
Peterson highlighted four key traits that distinguished exceptional general counsel.
“They are: empowering teams and fostering collaboration; blending legal advice with business-savvy risk management; embracing technological transformation like AI.
“Also, clearly demonstrating the value of the legal function to leadership, ” Peterson said.
He also identified trust as the bedrock of lasting impact, established through consistent delivery of quality advice.
“Trust is fragile and can be eroded by small, repeated missteps or by compromising one’s independence.
“A general counsel who becomes too close to the board or executive team may lose their strategic objectivity, which in turn undermines trust.
“Once trust is lost, regaining it is extremely difficult and without trust, legal professionals risk becoming irrelevant despite their technical prowess,” he said.
Mrs Abidemi Ademola, the Legal Director and Company Secretary, Guinness Nigeria Plc, called on legal professionals to embrace a mindset of creativity, leadership, innovation, and cross-functional collaboration.
Ademola said effective in-house counsel must build meaningful relationships across business units.
She also highlighted the growing role of legal teams in data management.
“Data is the new currency and helping your organisation access information at the speed of light adds value,” she said.
The General Counsel of the Zempler Bank, United Kingdom, Dr Solomon Osagie, stressed the need for legal professionals to evolve, develop leadership capabilities, and maintain independence.
Osagie underscored the importance of understanding the business and being strategically involved, while maintaining legal independence and embracing innovation.
“While it is crucial for general counsel to understand and contribute to business discussions, there remains a delicate balance.
“Lawyers must advise from a place of independence, ensuring that their counsel retains its professional privilege and impartiality,” he said.
On her part, Mrs Oyetutu Ayeni, the Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, JP Morgan Chase, United States, emphasised the importance of balancing legal risk with business innovation.
Ayeni said in-house lawyers could achieve this balance by streamlining approvals, automating low-risk contracts, and collaborating with internal stakeholders to support innovation effectively. (NAN)(www.nannews.com.ng)
Edited by Esenvosa Izah/Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma
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