Dyson Head of Legal
In five years, I would see Dyson as a diverse technology provider that focuses on the home and still makes products that solve problems that others couldn`t solve. The legal function can help get things done by being Dyson`s gatekeepers of innovation, trusted advisors, and active facilitators of Dyson`s goals, that is, looking at business issues like ours and working within the company`s project teams to quickly find good solutions. We have already started this journey – the best of us and our people is certainly yet to come! As interim leader of the NPR team, I was responsible for providing regulatory and promotional legal advice to all New Product Development (NPD) projects in all categories that were ready to be launched. I got to know dyson technology down to the last detail and really understood what makes it so special. Strategic advice on legal risks and justification requirements made me a valued member of the team and enjoyed working pragmatically and collaboratively with colleagues in the company. Our in-house legal teams have led Dyson since we patented our cyclonic technology. I have also gained a better understanding of the challenges the company faces in all areas. From the design idea phase of New Product Innovation (NPI) to the global launch of the finished machine on the market. While leading the team, I oversaw the launch of the Dyson Cyclone V10 cordless vacuum cleaner, Dyson Pure Cool cleaning fan, Dyson Supersonic™ Professional Edition hair™ dryer, and Dyson Airblade™ Wash + Dry hand dryer, ™ all of which were very exciting. I hope my influence has been to show how lawyers can add not only black-letter legal advice to a project, but also a broader business advisor – a true business partnership. As lawyers, we deal with many aspects of the business, and in such different circumstances, we sometimes underestimate the value of our unique perspective. Lawyers can use their problem-solving skills across the full range of a project`s problems, but that means you walk out of your office and talk to the people who are leading the critical work for the company, rather than waiting for them to come to you.
Q: How do you overcome the challenge of following the legal framework of different jurisdictions? Risk assessment is a key competency for each GC. I think it`s always important to have the right framework for that. At Dyson, our primary vehicle is a risk group that reports to the Board of Directors twice a year. It consists of the CEO, CFO, CHIEF Operating Officer and myself – competently supported by the internal audit and legal features functions. We meet monthly to assess emerging risks across the organization and focus on how to manage the risks we have already classified. A number of our most critical risks have a strong legal component, such as product security, privacy and competition issues. For me, the real challenges lie in the compliance aspect of this function – making sure we have trained our employees to assess these risks, deal with different problematic scenarios and properly document our actions. In a global company, the use of e-learning tools is particularly useful and cost-effective.
We can easily adapt the content and language to the target regions and automatically record participation in the training. My job is to advise the company on its contractual arrangements – to identify and mitigate legal risks and to negotiate terms with our suppliers. It also involves coordinating projects and collaborating strategically with other teams to proactively manage business risks. During his 14 years at Dyson, Martin Bowen has seen his legal department grow significantly. He now leads a team of 40 people and has recently hired five new lawyers, including two business lawyers in the UK and one in Singapore. The company, which manufactures vacuum cleaners and hair dryers and has an electric car in the pipeline, is moving its headquarters from Malmesbury in south-west England to Singapore to meet demand for its products in Asia. I lead the Advertising Litigation and Product Liability divisions of the Product Litigation Centre of Excellence. My team advises and develops strategy for advertising and product liability litigation worldwide, which includes working closely with Dyson Legal`s market lawyers, competitive strategy and intellectual property teams to provide clear and holistic legal advice to the company. I am part of two very important teams: the global legal team (including security and information management) and the Dyson Group management team – we are the 10 people who report to Max Conze, our Managing Director, and who are responsible for the day-to-day management of Dyson`s operations. I spend about 70% of my time on legal matters and the rest on management team questions. I am also secretary of the group company and attend meetings of the board of directors.
James Dyson learned a lesson about the value of legal power and won an exhausting $4.2 million battle against Hoover when he infringed our first patents on cyclone technology. Protecting our technology has been a key part of Dyson`s development ever since. As you`d expect with any job in the legal profession, working at Dyson can be challenging and sometimes challenging. But this job gives me the opportunity to do some really interesting and high-level legal work and develop my skills – all in an exciting and supportive environment (in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside!). It`s an exciting place to work as an in-house lawyer. I work as part of the Group Operations and Projects team at Dyson as part of a group of lawyers who provide legal support in company-wide contractual matters. I advise the company on its agreements with the main suppliers of the Dyson Group in collaboration with the group`s procurement team and sales functions such as IT, marketing, finance and human resources. Many of these providers offer goods and services that are an essential part of the infrastructure that underpins Dyson`s global operations. It is often a lot of money and serious consequences if something goes wrong. One day is rare like any other, which is a lot of fun for Dyson (with one or two challenges thrown here and there!). However, I usually talk to one of my team members in the Asia Pacific region in the morning.
Dyson has lawyers in Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and China. Asia is a real growth region for our company and we want to focus more on support – which is why we have been actively recruiting for some time. I visit the area at least three times a year.