Job Description
General CounselRequisition ID: 8010YouAre you a highly motivated Lawyer with a passion for commercial and contract law, leadership and innovation? Do you thrive in vibrant, entrepreneurial environments and excel at navigating complex legal landscapes? You are likely to already be a General Counsel or a Senior Legal Counsel looking to step up into your first General Counsel role and your top-tier private practice or in-house experience, combined with a strong track record in management, will set you apart from the rest. You thrive in a multicultural context, have a passion for strategic leadership, and are ready to make an impact at Suntory working as part of our GB&I Executive team.Your roleAs the GB&I General Counsel, you will lead the legal function, shaping and executing the legal strategy. Leading a talented team of lawyers, you’ll provide expert legal guidance to senior management, oversee our legal and compliance activities, and ensure alignment with the broader Governance, Risk, Compliance, and Legal function. You will also work closely with the wider European legal team.What will I be responsible for?Strategic Leadership: You will lead, motivate and manage the legal team across GBI, offering comprehensive legal support for functions including Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, R&D, and more. Oversee the drafting, negotiation, and management of a diverse range of commercial agreements. You will also be a member of the GB&I Executive Committee.Brand Protection: You’ll have overall responsibility for the IP management of some of our brands across key markets, including Lucozade and Ribena.Corporate Governance: You will be a board member and company secretary of the Suntory Beverage and Food GBI corporate entity, responsible for all corporate governance across Great Britain and Ireland.Risk Management and Compliance: Chair the Ethics & Compliance Committee, lead risk management initiatives, and handle crisis/incident management. Ensure effective compliance across all GBI operations.Team Development: Inspire and develop the GBI legal team, championing legal, compliance, risk, and ethics agendas. Act as a role model and support your team’s growth.Change Management: Drive the transformation of the Legal function working with your regional colleagues, including digital innovations. Advocate for change and help embed new practices within the organization.What do I need to be successful?Solid experience in commercial law, with a strong focus on commercial contracts. Experience with intellectual property would be an advantage.Strong commercial acumen.Visionary and empowering leadership style with proven expertise in people management.Experience working with board level members handling complex legal matters.Ability to translate strategy and vision into relevant targets and actions for wider team.Demonstrate analytical, evaluative and problem-solving capabilities to lead the legal strategy for GB&I and support the regional legal strategy, as well as set and lead the GB&I business strategy as part of EXCOM.Strong team player and connector, excellent interpersonal and communication skills in a highly matrixed, multi-cultural context, with strong stakeholder management capabilities and influencing skills.Strong influencer with ability to challenge and lead change, and broad leadership skills outside of their own area of expertise.Willingness to travel as required.Your Future with UsAt Suntory Beverage and Food GB&I, you'll be part of a forward-thinking team that values innovation and strategic leadership. You will have the opportunity to drive meaningful change, influence key decisions, and contribute to our ongoing success. We support each other and we want to see each other succeed. There is a wealth of opportunity to learn and grow in a place where you can truly be yourself.Our CommitmentAt Suntory, we greatly appreciate the value that diverse knowledge, perspectives, and backgrounds can bring. Our colleagues from a wide range of cultures, lifestyles, and experiences contribute significantly to our collective success. We understand that our candidates all have unique career trajectories and experiences, and this can sometimes deter you from applying for a role if you don’t feel that you meet all the criteria. If you believe that you have relevant skills and experience that you feel could benefit us, we would love to know what unique perspectives and experience you can bring to help make us better, together, in a company that is committed to Growing for Good and Giving Back to Society. Our recruitment, selection and assessment process is based on the skills and competencies of the above role. We are committed to and value diversity, equity and inclusion in our recruitment process and do not discriminate based on gender, race or ethnic background, class, economic status, disability status, sexual orientation, age, political beliefs, marital status or any other protected characteristic. We want to ensure that our interview process is as inclusive as possible. If you require any reasonable accommodation as part of the process, do not hesitate to let your recruiter know who will be happy to help.Next StepsYour application will be reviewed by our Talent Acquisition Specialist. You will be notified within 2 weeks if you are invited for a first screening interview. #J-18808-Ljbffr