Group Legal Director

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Our ambitions to shape the future of sustainable mobility are powered by our talent. Join us, and get better with every move.

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

The Group Legal Director is an internationally oriented and highly experienced  senior legal leader heading the Legal function and reporting directly to the Chief Legal & Corporate Affairs Officer (CLCO) who is a member of Ayvens Executive Committee. The Group Legal Director is responsible for leading and continuously developing the Group Legal Department, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, pragmatic and business-oriented legal support across the Ayvens Group.

As a trusted advisor to the CLCO, Executive Committee and senior stakeholders, the Group Legal Director contributes to the development and execution of Ayvens' strategy, safeguards legal and governance standards, oversees material legal risks and drives the (cost) efficiency and effectiveness of the Ayvens global legal function.

INTRODUCTION

Ayvens is a listed and ECB regulated subsidiary of Société Générale and a leading international mobility provider operating across multiple jurisdictions. The Group Legal Department comprises more than 20 legal professionals located in Amsterdam and Paris. The team is organised into centres of expertise supporting Group functions and local legal teams across the organisation. The global legal community of Ayvens consists of more than 100 in-house lawyers across over 40 countries, providing legal support to Ayvens' international business activities. The Heads of Legal in Ayvens’ countries report functionally to the Group Legal Director.

We are seeking an internationally oriented, highly experienced and commercially minded Group Legal Director to lead the Legal Department and contribute to the strategic leadership of the Ayvens global legal function. The Group Legal Director combines strategic judgement and strong legal expertise with proven leadership capabilities, business and digital acumen and the ability to operate effectively in a complex international and regulated environment. Experience in French corporate law and in a French listed and regulated environment would be an advantage.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Advise and support the Executive Committee, Managing Board and Supervisory Board on significant legal, governance, and regulatory matters, in close cooperation and consultation with the CLCO.
• Lead the strategic development of the legal function through process optimisation, digitalisation, legal technology, AI solutions, data-driven management, knowledge sharing and continuous cost reduction and improvement initiatives. Oversee the identification, assessment and mitigation of material legal and regulatory risks and ensure appropriate escalation, reporting and governance within the organisation and its stakeholders.
• Manage the affairs of the Ayvens Legal Department, provide guidance and support to team members, act as a sparring partner and foster professional development, staff engagement and a strong team spirit. Steer and partner with country Heads of Legal across the Ayvens Group to promote consistency, best practices, knowledge sharing and alignment and reporting on legal priorities, policies and standards.
• Oversee and manage significant international legal files, legal incidents and litigation and other legal matters with a material impact. Interact at strategic level across the organisation and ensure effective communication, collaboration and teamwork within the legal function and with other departments.
• Report to and provide updates and legal support to the CLCO and to internal stakeholders such as Group Audit, Risk, Privacy & Compliance and shareholder, Societe Generale, as well as relevant external bodies.
• Maintain responsibility for internal legal charts, policies, processes and governance documentation.
• Act as an external representative of Ayvens by maintaining regular contacts with external advisors, suppliers and peers of the legal function and ensuring constructive relationships.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Experience in an international and regulated financial services environment.
• Strong knowledge of corporate and governance law applicable to listed companies and regulated financial institutions, preferably under French law.
• At least 15 years’ experience as legal counsel or lawyer in an international business environment, preferably in leasing or financial services.
• Proven people management experience, including coaching, development, engagement and motivation. A proven track record of leading and developing high performing legal teams across multiple countries.
• Experience in managing external counsel, legal budgets and the efficient allocation of internal and external recourses.
• Experience in developing and setting out an innovative and digital legal strategy in a global environment, setting priorities and translating business needs into legal objectives and actions.
• Broad and solid legal experience across corporate, commercial, governance, regulatory and litigation matters.
• Pragmatic business and digital acumen, with the ability to assess both legal issues and broader business consequences.
• Experience engaging with ExCo, boards and stakeholders at all levels, including external stakeholders.
• Strategic and innovative thinker able to develop practical solutions to complex legal issues. Experience with creating and execution of digital/AI roadmap and/or legal tech is considered a strong advantage.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills and the credibility to advise and challenge senior executives and board members.
• The ability to communicate complex legal issues clearly and concisely to non-legal stakeholders, negotiation, organizational and stakeholder management skills across cultures and nationalities.
• The ability to prioritize and delegate effectively and deliver high-quality work under pressure and within demanding timelines
• Strong integrity, discretion and sensitivity when handling confidential or reputationally significant matters

COMPETENCIES

• Strategic leadership and role-modelling
• Delivering results and managing by objectives
• Analysis and problem solving
• Enterprise thinking
• Decision making
• Influencing and global stakeholder management
• Organisational commitment and global mindset
• Continuous improvement and operational excellence
• Social and cultural sensitivity and collaboration

Why Ayvens?  

With over 3.1 million vehicles managed across more than 40 countries, we provide full-service leasing, flexible subscription services, fleet management services and multi-mobility solutions to customers of all sizes, including large corporates, SMEs, professionals, and private individuals. By leveraging our unique position to lead the way to net zero and further shape the digital transformation of the industry, we are well-positioned to meet the evolving mobility needs of our clients and provide them with the solutions they need to thrive.

At Ayvens, we believe that our success is driven by our commitment to customer satisfaction. Our team is dedicated to delivering innovative solutions and technology-enabled services that help our customers focus on their everyday business. We’re committed to sustainable mobility and have made it a core part of our strategy. In everything we do, we’re guided by the principles of authenticity, curiosity, commitment and collaboration. We aim to foster an organisation that's diverse in people and ideas, where everyone can thrive and be themselves, no matter who they are.

Join us on this exciting journey as we continue to enable the transformation towards large scale adoption of sustainable mobility and provide our customers with the solutions they need to succeed. Follow our page for the latest updates, news, and insights.