General Counsel Summit

21st annual

General Counsel Summit

Prioritising ethical leadership in an age of disruption
November 5th 2024 | Convene Bishopsgate, London
#EconGC

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Thank you to those that attended this year, we hope you enjoyed the valuable and engaging discussions

Event summary

Whether it is unexpected business disruption, unforeseen political events or changing expectations of increasingly influential stakeholders, the range and severity of challenges facing companies is quickly growing. General counsel are in an influential position to shape strategic corporate objectives.

Economist Impact’s General Counsel Summit brought together 500 general counsel, chief legal officers and other industry leaders to discuss issues that are top of mind for boards and C-suites globally.

Through a series of panel debates, interviews and roundtables we explored market insights and offer practical advice on how general counsel can ensure their departments are well-prepared to approach growing responsibilities employing best practice and technical knowledge, as well as demonstrating integrity and ethical conduct.

This event was hosted under the Chatham House Rule.

A look into the 20th anniversary General Counsel Summit in 2023

View the photo gallery

Get involved

Interested in sponsoring at 2024’s event? To become an event sponsor, and discuss ways to align your brand and promote your thought leadership, on this far-reaching, premium platform, and to discuss various speaking package options, please contact: Max Jacobs at [email protected]

2023 featured speakers

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Helen Lamprell

Chief legal and transformation officer, Aveva
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Helen Lamprell

Chief legal and transformation officer, Aveva
Helen Lamprell is general counsel and company secretary at AVEVA Group. She was previously general counsel and director of external affairs at Vodafone UK, where she was responsible for sustainability, media relations, government affairs and corporate security. Ms Lamprell has over two decades’ experience in providing expert legal counsel for businesses, with over half of that spent at Vodafone driving best practice and leading expansion. She is a strong believer in the power of businesses to drive positive change, from the empowerment of women and girls to the treatment of mental health in the workplace.
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Tom Shropshire

General counsel & company secretary, Diageo
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Tom Shropshire

General counsel & company secretary, Diageo
Tom Shropshire is general counsel, company secretary and an Executive Committee member at Diageo, a global leader in spirits and beer, operating in over 180 countries with more than 200 brands. Mr Shropshire is also a non-executive director (Member of the Court) of the Bank of England. He is a former partner of Linklaters, where he was global head of the US practice and co-head of the risk and resilience practice. He was a member of the Parker Review into the ethnic diversity of UK boards, and is the author of the UN Global Compact’s “Guide for General Counsel on Corporate Sustainability”.
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Maria Varsellona

Chief legal officer and group secretary, Unilever
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Maria Varsellona

Chief legal officer and group secretary, Unilever
As a member of Unilever’s executive leadership team, Maria Varsellona is responsible for the company’s legal, intellectual property (IP) and business integrity functions. She joined Unilever in 2022, and prior to this was chief legal officer, and subsequently also company secretary, at ABB, a global technology company based in Switzerland. Previously Ms Varsellona was general counsel at Nokia Siemens Networks, and then chief legal officer at Nokia, with full P&L responsibility for the company’s IP rights business. She also served as general counsel at TetraPak and at Sidel, both part of Tetra Laval Group. Prior to this Ms Varsellona covered senior global legal roles at GE Oil & Gas.
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David Cox

Legal and compliance director, Rightmove
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David Cox

Legal and compliance director, Rightmove
David Cox became Rightmove’s legal and compliance director in 2020 after almost seven years at the helm of the property industry’s professional body, Propertymark. He has extensive experience in political lobbying and has led many successful campaigns, including mandatory client money protection (CMP) and the Regulation of Property Agents (RoPA). Mr Cox is a board director of Rightmove Landlord and Tenant Services, a specialist tenant referencing and insurance provider, as well as Rightmove’s other subsidiaries. Previously he was a board director of the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, Money Shield and Propertymark Qualifications.
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Lisette van Eenennaam

Global general counsel robotics & discrete automation, ABB
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Lisette van Eenennaam

Global general counsel robotics & discrete automation, ABB
Lisette van Eenennaam is global general counsel for the robotics and discrete automation (RA) business area of ABB, a global technology leader in the fields of robotics, power and automation. She is responsible for legal and integrity for the global RA business and is part of the ABB global legal and integrity management team. Ms van Eenennaam has spent most of her career in corporate investigations and compliance, with a focus on multi-jurisdictional investigations in the regulatory environment. She has been with ABB for over 10 years, focusing on internal investigations, integrity, and establishing a legal-operations function and service centre.

2023 experts from The Economist Group include:

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Daniel Franklin

Executive editor, The Economist
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Daniel Franklin

Executive editor, The Economist
Daniel Franklin is US editor and executive editor of The Economist. He has held the latter role since 2006. From 2003 to 2019 he was editor of The Economist‘s annual publication on the year ahead (at the time called “The World in…”). Mr Franklin joined The Economist in 1983, and was Europe editor and Washington bureau chief. In 1997 he became editorial director of the Economist Intelligence Unit. From 2006 to 2010 he was editor-in-chief of Economist.com, before becoming business-affairs editor for four years. Mr Franklin has written two books on long-term trends, “Megachange: The World in 2050” (2012) and “Megatech: Technology in 2050” (2017).
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John Ferguson

Practice lead, new globalisation, Economist Impact
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John Ferguson

Practice lead, new globalisation, Economist Impact
John Ferguson is head of The Economist Group’s globalisation, trade and finance practice. He is responsible for leading and developing the practice across different geographies and sectors, including both public and private organisations. Mr Ferguson was previously director of macroeconomics, responsible for guiding the Economist Intelligence Unit’s global economic analysis across 200 countries. Prior to this he was director of country analysis and global forecasting. As a trained economist, Mr Ferguson has a breadth of research experience using econometrics, macroeconomic analysis and political-economy analysis. His research has covered many of the major factors impacting the global economy: climate change, geopolitics, FDI flows, artificial intelligence and global employment patterns.
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Dexter Thillien

Lead, technology and telecoms analyst, Economist Intelligence Unit
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Dexter Thillien

Lead, technology and telecoms analyst, Economist Intelligence Unit
Dexter Thillien is the Lead Technology and Telecoms Analyst at the EIU. He joined the company in September 2021, and has been an analyst since 2008. His areas of expertise include regulation, the intersection between technology and industries as well as between technology and geopolitics, and the strategy of Big Tech companies. He was recently the lead writer for reports on 5G and cybersecurity. Finally he has been quoted extensively in the media.

Dexter Thillien works for the EIU as the Lead Analyst for technology and telecoms. His specialist areas are regulation, the intersection between technology and industries and as well as between technology and geopolitics, and the strategy of Big Tech companies, He has also published several reports, the latest on 5G and cybersecurity, and has presented to a wide range of audiences since 2010.

In his current role, Dexter leads the editorial coverage for the technology and telecoms hub, looking at the market in itself as well as the impact of technology more broadly, highlighting the implications for corporate, financial and government clients. He has presented at several telecoms-specific trade conferences over the years, including events organised by the European Commission. He has produced webinars for a wide range of clients, and has been interviewed by several media, including the BBC, CNBC or Bloomberg.

Dexter joined the EIU in 2021, and has been an analyst since 2008. A French national, he has been living in the UK since 1998, and holds a Master’s Degree from King’s College London.
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Ailia Haider

Senior analyst, policy and insights, Economist Impact
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Ailia Haider

Senior analyst, policy and insights, Economist Impact
Ailia Haider is a senior analyst on Economist Impact’s Policy & Insights team, leading research programmes focused on the intersection between technology, society and policy for a wide range of clients, including public, private and multilateral organisations. Miss Haider’s research typically investigates the most pertinent technological trends of today such as the future of artificial intelligence, digital rights and responsible innovation. Miss Haider holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from University College London and a master’s degree in International Development from SOAS, both of which have driven her to understand the economic and societal impacts of technology through her research.
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Matthew Oxenford

Senior analyst, Europe and climate change, Economist Intelligence Unit
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Matthew Oxenford

Senior analyst, Europe and climate change, Economist Intelligence Unit
Matthew is EIU’s lead analyst on climate change and climate policy, and is a senior analyst in EIU’s Europe team. Matthew joined the EIU in July 2019, prior to which, he worked for four years as a researcher in the International Economics Department at Chatham House, focusing on global economic governance and geo-economic and political trends. He has also worked at Deloitte UK and in several political and policy roles in Washington DC. Matthew holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy and Economics from the University of Chicago.

Accredited by:

“This is the GC Community’s unofficial annual summit. The networking opportunities alone are good enough reason to invest time attending it and the pearls of practical wisdom from professional leaders are a planet-sized bonus.”

Tyman
“Brilliant panels and roundtables, inspiring leaders and insightful discussions with esteemed colleagues. The event provided a remarkable platform to connect and exchange ideas with colleagues from various industry sectors and geographies.”

FedEx Express Europe
“It can be hard to make time for conferences, but the Economist Impact GC summit pays off with market insights, quality peer conversations and some moments of real inspiration.”

Mace
“Great event, the best of its kind I have been to as evidenced by the attendance. All the talks were interesting and excellently moderated. There was a real buzz about it, well done to the organisers.”

Evercore
“I really enjoyed the opportunity to listen, learn and engage with my industry peers on the hottest topics right now and on the horizon. The mood of the event was optimistic excitement about the legal profession amid these changing times.”

Coca-cola

Venue

Convene, 22 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4BQ Venue website +1 888-730-7307

General Counsel Summit

Thank you to those that attended this year, we hope you enjoyed the valuable and engaging discussions