Name: Helen Amponsah Asare
Position: Group Head, Legal & Company Secretary
Company: KGL Group of Companies LTD
Sector/Industry: (telecoms, financial, govt, energy etc) Technology, Fintech, Fuel Automation, Real Estate, Non-Profit
Worked in current position for (number of years/months): One year, three months
Total years as an in-house lawyer: Three years, five months
A day in the life:
I oversee the legal and company secretarial function of the various entities within the group and some partner affiliates. My tasks for the day span across providing legal advisory support to executives and departments on industry specific laws, tax, employment, data privacy, among others things; structuring of transactions (intra-group and with external parties), drafting and review of contracts, contract management, managing dispute resolution, managing regulatory affairs and compliance, performing company secretarial duties including providing advisory support to the board as well as performing other managerial roles.
The best thing about my current job is:
The opportunity to offer strategic legal advice across diverse areas of law and industries.
The most challenging thing about my current job is:
It’s quite complex managing the competing interests between various entities and partner affiliates based on the peculiar relationship between these entities
Most pivotal career decision:
The decision to personally invest and grow my career independently irrespective of which work, challenges with work or work environment and culture.
One of the biggest challenges I’ve had to face in your in-house career journey is:
Getting the entire organisation to understand the nature and scope of my role as an inaugural in-house counsel and managing competing interests with partner affiliates.
What advice would I give my younger self? (On Video)
Key influencers that have shaped my journey:
I admire and take inspiration from a lot of people, some colleagues and senior colleagues
I think I will skip mentioning specific names.
One cool thing I’ve observed in the legal industry recently?
The use of legal technology. I’m quite impressed about the number of articles and
campaigns I come across advocating for the use of technology to enhance legal procedures
Favourite pro bono/ volunteer or charitable activity:
Sharing my knowledge and experience in the field of law across various platforms
If I were not practising law, I would probably be:
Event planning and management. I like the creativity and style that comes with event planning and management.
What (singular) achievement are you most proud of?
My route to becoming a lawyer. That will be a story for another day.
Something you love doing that but you’re not that great at?
Hahaha, it’s not professionally related. I will say “singing”. I have such a bad voice but I love to sing anyways.
Something you dislike doing that you’re pretty good at?
Ermmm…nothing really comes to mind
In 5 years-time I’d love to be:
I would like to see myself performing more executive roles, such as serving as a strategic legal advisor on some boards, locally and internationally.