General Counsel and Compliance Lead

A General Counsel role based in the midlands but with international responsibility and reporting to the CFO with responsibility for the compliance and company secretarial functions for a fast growing and highly entrepreneurial on line business with the potential to main list.

Client Details

Having launched just a few years ago our client , currently an AIM Listed business, has serious ambitions to main list in the next 12 months and ultimately step into the FTSE 100 within the next 3 years.

With a current market cap north of over £1bn (close to £1.4 bn) this will mean quadrupling in size in this time. A huge task, but by no means un-realistic given their strategy in the UK and internationally.

Typical of a business that has and will continue to grow so rapidly, it is critical to invest further in the company back office and infrastructure to keep pace with future growth at their Midlands.

Description

A key part of this investment will be in the legal infrastructure and as a result the organisation is seeking to add a General Counsel to its Exec board who will take responsibility for all legal, company secretarial and compliance matters for the organisation.

Reporting to the CFO you will have responsibility for reforming and developing the current legal and governance strategy and will play a central role in the continued growth of the business. Responsibilities will include without being limited to:

• Overseeing, the legal governance implications of a future Aim to Main list - should it occur

• Managing future corporate transactions

• Taking responsibility for all contractual agreements in particular;

• Establishing a full suite of general commercial precedents

• Overseeing all IP and content licensing arrangements

• Advising on e-commerce

• Advising on Advertising Standards and promotional material
• Advising on GDPR questions as they arise and implementing a strategy

• Mitigation of legal risk and advising on regulatory, compliance, anti-bribery and risk management by ensuring the organisation is fully compliant with prevailing statutory and regulatory provisions and that relevant governance is in place

• Oversight of any corporate governance issues including company secretary duties

Profile

A UK qualified Solicitor or Barrister with significant experience ideally within an in house "Start Up" environment. You will be able to demonstrate:

• Corporate experience in a listed business

• Broad commercial experience particularly IP/IT and e-commerce matters.

• Experience implementing and rolling out Data Protection and compliance policies

• Experience in overseeing Company Secretarial, Governance and Compliance in a regulated context.

• The ambition, drive and commercial mind-set to work in a highly entrepreneurial fast growing environment

• You will initially have little junior support in this role therefore a willingness to "role your sleeves up" and turn your hand to the full range of legal issues is essential.

Desired Experience would include:

• Aim to Main listing experience

• Experience in consumer facing law including advertising.

• Cross border transactional experience particularly US and Australia

• A background in e-commerce

• Any knowledge of the property market/law

• Employment, Litigation and other typically ad hoc in house legal matters.

Job Offer

Competitive Basic but with a focus on Options.