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A globalized economy demands business leaders with an international mindset. The general counsel of today is a business leader, and as mitigators of risk, they can often find themselves wearing multiple hats while they carefully navigate the wide variety of issues brought before them.
To help high-ranking global counsel excel at a truly global perspective and be best prepared for any challenge the current business landscape could throw their way, ACC is inviting the highest ranking legal officer of an organization to join their peers from around the world at the ACC Global General Counsel Summit.
Taking place in Amsterdam from May 31 to June 2, 2023, the event will provide participants with a space (under the Chatham House Rule) to tackle the most pressing issues currently facing modern CLOs, learn from their peers, and make cross-border connections in a private, intimate setting designed for general counsel, by general counsel.
Summit attendees will receive:
- Peer-to-peer benchmarking on best practices and challenges;
- Networking with a multinational community of 20+ countries across various sectors;
- Global brainstorming to drive legal department transformation and growth; and
- Examination of the chief legal officer role and response during crisis simulations, and more.
What is the ACC Global Counsel Summit?
The theme of this year’s ACC Global General Counsel Summit is “Leading your company through a multipolar world” and has been designed by industry experts to inspire legal counsel to forge relationships that open their minds to new opinions, challenge their insights, provide fresh experiences, and teach them how to sustain connections. The Global General Counsel Summit is the preeminent annual event aimed at chief legal counsel, encouraging them to gain the essential knowledge needed to navigate an increasingly complex business environment.
Chief legal officers from more than 20 countries will engage with leading global experts and speakers from The World Bank, Nestle, Uber, Heineken, and others, through sessions around numerous key topics, including:
- Rule of Law
- Supply chain management
- Recruiting & retaining talent
- Cybersecurity
- Post-merger integration
- Wearing multiple hats
- Addressing shareholder concerns
Why should legal counsel attend?
The need for global general counsel to easily adapt is more important than ever. In this current global landscape, legal officers must become even more agile and strategic to address their corporate clients’ needs. The role of the CLO is forever changing and expanding, and as the world’s organisations keep adjusting to new challenges, legal professionals must also continually and proactively redefine themselves and their legal departments to match this rapid global transformation.
"The theme of the conference is extremely compelling to me. Within my scope, like many of my peers, I manage functions outside of the traditional legal function, such as trade compliance, ethics and compliance and government affairs. We work in global environments where we must be cognizant of the multipolarity of conflicts of laws, and the current regulatory environment around key topics of interest such as cybersecurity, data privacy, ESG and corporate governance, as well as around certain areas of technology such as AI. Boards and executive leadership rely on the General Counsel to lead the discussion on these topics and the General Counsel relies on our peers and our external counsel to ensure we are on the right track.”
Effective general counsel will exploit these newfound opportunities, leading their companies as they navigate this complex and shifting environment. The Global General Counsel Summit featuring roundtables, interactive plenaries, and ample networking opportunities will provide legal professionals with the opportunity to learn from experts from around the world.
“In my opinion, the changing regulatory landscape and rising geo-political discord are two of the top challenges facing CLOs today. Generative AI and the intellectual property implications are an emerging challenge as well, however, AI also provides an opportunity to enhance products and services as well. I’m looking for an opportunity to meet my fellow CLOs and address the challenges of this ever-changing world. I’m also interested in understanding some of the best practices and challenges experienced by my peers.”
What top challenges are modern CLOs facing?
The modern CLO has a lot on their plate. From dealing with the effects of multipolar conflicts between regional blocs of countries, adapting policies to be in line with evolving social norms both inside and outside companies, and handling the pressing need to accomplish more with less spending, their list of responsibilities is rapidly expanding.
“I am certain that the networking and brainstorming will foster exactly the kind of ideas and outcomes that we all need to help us drive the kind of transformative scale and growth that we hope to bring back to our companies during this time when regulatory change is happening quickly and our companies need us to act as the bridge between law and culture more than ever before.” – Carolyn Herzog, chief legal officer, Elastic.
As the role of the CLO continues to expand, the position is increasingly being seen as critical to the success of any business, with those filling the role acting as valued and trusted partners throughout their organizations. The main topics concerning modern CLOs include cybersecurity, regulatory compliance and data privacy, with industry-specific regulations posing the greatest legal challenge, according to the 2023 ACC Chief Legal Officers Survey. Many CLOs are also facing many of the legal and business implications associated with the ongoing pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and inflation, acting as a driving force behind crisis management for many companies.
The value of CLOs applying their unique training and experience to roles outside the traditional legal function is increasingly being recognized as beneficial to the strategic and operational needs of organizations. Recent ACC surveys show increases across numerous corporate functions reporting to the chief legal officer. In 2022, we saw increases in 18 of 22 corporate functions surveyed that report to the CLO. In 2023, privacy, risk, and cybersecurity response saw four percent increases in the past year alone. It is more important than ever for general counsel to establish their influence throughout their organization and their industry to make their mark beyond the typical confines of the legal department.
Seats are filling fast, act now to join this elite group of legal and business leaders in Amsterdam on May 31 – June 2 at the ACC 2023 Global General Counsel Summit. Register today!
