General Counsel

We are seeking an accomplished and commercially driven Head of Legal / General Counsel to lead the Group's legal and compliance function globally. As the most senior legal officer of the Group, the incumbent will serve asa trusted advisor to the CEO, CFO, executive leadership team, and the Board onall legal and regulatory matters affecting the business. This is a hands-on leadership role requiring the ability to operate strategically at the boardroom level while remaining close to day-to-day legal operations across multiple jurisdictions. The successful candidate will build and lead a lean,high-performing legal and compliance team, manage a globalpanel of external counsel, and establish scalable frameworks that support the Group's continued international expansion, including M&A. Legal Leadership & Corporate Governance • Serve as chief legal advisor to the Board,CEO, and executive leadership on all legal,regulatory, and governance matters across the Group's 16-country footprint. • Oversee corporate secretarial and entitygovernance matters for all Group subsidiaries,including board resolutions, shareholder matters, constitutional documents, andstatutory compliance in each jurisdiction. • Support corporate transactions including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate restructurings, and new market entries — leading legal due diligence,transaction structuring, negotiation of SPAs, shareholder agreements, and lettersof intent, through to completion and post-merger integration. • Advise on financing arrangements, including banking facilities, guarantees, indemnities, security documentation, and intercompany funding structures. • Manage shareholder-related matters,including minority shareholder issues and disputes, where they arise. Commercial & Contract Management • Provide oversight and strategic direction on the Group's commercial contracting framework, including freight forwarding and transportation agreements, warehousing contracts, 3PL agreements, charter parties, agency agreements, and vendor/supplier contracts. • Develop and maintain standard terms and conditions of trading (aligned with applicable freight forwarding association standard trading conditions), contract templates, playbooks, and delegation-of-authority matrices. • Lead or support negotiation of high-value, complex, or strategic contracts with key customers,carriers, and service providers. • Advise operations and commercial teams on liability regimes applicable to international carriage (e.g., Hague-Visby Rules, Montreal Convention, CMR), Incoterms, and limitation of liability provisions. Compliance & Regulatory • Design, implement, and maintain a Group-wide compliance programme covering anti-bribery and corruption (e.g., UK Bribery Act, FCPA, local equivalents), sanctions and export controls, trade compliance, customs regulations,competition/antitrust law, data protection (PDPA, GDPR, and local equivalents),and anti-money laundering. • Monitor legal and regulatory developments across all operating jurisdictions and assess theirimpact on the business; ensure timely implementation of required changes. • Develop and delivercompliance training, policies, and codes of conduct across the Group; foster a strong culture of ethics and integrity. • Oversee whistleblowing channels,internal investigations, and remediation actions. • Act as liaison with regulators and government authorities where required. Insurance • Own the Group'sglobal insurance strategy and annual renewal programme, including marine cargo, freight forwarders' liability, property, business interruption, cyber, crime,Directors' & Officers'(D&O), employment practices liability, and other corporate lines. • Work with insurance brokersand underwriters to optimise coverage, terms, and premium spend across the Group; ensure adequacy of coverage relativeto the Group's evolving risk profile. • Advise business units on contractual insurance requirements, certificates of insurance, and indemnity/insurance interplay incommercial agreements. • Present insurance renewal strategy and outcomes to executive leadership and the Board. Claims & Dispute Resolution • Lead the Group'sclaims management function,covering cargo claims,liability claims, contractual disputes, and recovery actions against carriers and third parties. • Establish claims handlingprotocols, escalation procedures, and reserve-setting practices in coordination with finance and insurers. • Manage litigation, arbitration, and med…