Unexpected and catastrophic events can arise in a number of different contexts in organisations.
The causes and impact can vary but usually involve one or more of significant harm to people, to the environment, a major interruption to business operations, a major financial reversal and deep, longer-term damage to reputation.
In this session, we look at the role of in-house lawyers in handling crises in their organisations, particularly in relation to assessing risk and impact as well as planning and implementation. We will also ask whether the lawyer’s role has changed, or will change, in the light of lessons learned from the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speakers include:
Sharon Blackman OBE, Managing Director and General Counsel at Citi - Office of the General Counsel
An English law qualified Barrister and NY Attorney, Sharon currently heads the Foreign Exchange and Local Markets (FX & LM) Legal Team for Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA). She is Chair of the Bank of England Foreign Exchange Joint Standing Committee, legal subcommittee, co-chairs Citi’s EMEA pro bono Committee and sits on Citi’s EMEA and Global Diversity Councils.
Sharon is a founding member of the In-house Pro Bono Group, a trustee and playing member of the Croydon Symphony Orchestra, a Corporate Advisory Board member for Urban Synergy and The Bar Association for Commerce, Finance and Industry (BACFI) representative on the Bar Council’s Race Working Group. Currently Citi, with Sharon as the pupil supervisor, is the only corporate in the UK offering an employed commercial pupillage.
In 2021 she was named in the Women to Watch 2021 compiled by Cranfield University’s School of Management as a supplement to the Female FTSE Board Report, became a Bencher of Lincoln’s Inn and was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honors for services to the financial sector.
Sharon was the recent recipient of GC of the Year at the Legal Business Awards 2022.
Peter King, Legal Advisor to the Treasury
Peter is the Legal Director (general counsel) at HM Treasury. He leads a group of approximately 100 people who form the in-house legal team for that department, while also giving legal advice personally on strategic issues.
He joined HM Treasury in 2017 after a career of more than 30 years as a corporate and M&A lawyer in private practice. His practice was focused on UK public companies and multinational corporations.
He started his career at Linklaters (where he became a partner in 1990) and subsequently practised at Shearman & Sterling and at Weil, Gotshal & Manges. Throughout his career, Peter has maintained an active pro bono practice and he is now a trustee of several charities.