GCWN Insights
Tools, stories, and perspectives where wellbeing powers performance
GC Corner: An interview with Mohammed Majid
Influence with a board comes from trust and relationships and both take time to build…For me, a few things matter. First, understand the business as well as anyone at the table. If you understand the commercial drivers, the numbers and the pressures people are under, your advice becomes relevant rather than theoretical. Second, give a view, not just a list of risks and be willing to say the uncomfortable thing when it needs saying, ideally early, in the right forum and with a solution in mind. Third, invest in relationships: some of the most important conversations happen over a coffee (or one on one in someone’s office), not in a formal setting. Finally, be the same person in every room. Integrity and consistency are what give a General Counsel credibility when it really matters, often in a crisis, when the board needs someone who will be calm, objective and straight.
View from the Room: Filippo Cossalter
Filippo, Head of Legal for EMEA at Ericsson, shares his key takeaways from the “Leading Through Uncertainty” webinar designed to support senior legal leaders navigating the ongoing Middle East conflict, including the importance of recognising the impact on the people you lead.
GC Corner: An interview with Dr. MOGY
The hybrid nature of law in the Middle East is unique. One morning you’re dealing with a civil law concept in Cairo, in the afternoon it’s a DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre) common law dispute in Dubai, and by evening you’re navigating the rapid regulatory evolution of Vision 2030 in Saudi. Culturally, business here is still done over coffee and trust. If you can’t navigate the Majlis (translated as ‘sitting place’ to connect and discuss) as well as you navigate a Master Service Agreement, you’re only doing half the job.
GC Corner: An interview with Yosr Hamza
I used to lead the “textbook” way…the polished corporate version of myself who thought every answer had to be airtight and every email had to sound like it was blessed by a panel of retired judges. Life humbled me. Hard. Now I lead with a mix of precision and humanity. I don’t pretend complexity doesn’t exist. I don’t pretend to be invincible. I don’t pretend every deadline is reasonable just because it’s written in a slide deck. My team sees a leader who sets boundaries, names reality, and expects others to operate like adults. The shift is simple: I stopped performing leadership and started practicing it.