Career before Randstad

Period: 1987-1999
Companies: from medium sized city law firm to B.A.T Industries Group of Companies to M.W. Kellogg Limited
Country: United Kingdom
Job title: from lawyer to Legal adviser to Legal Director

My career started as a lawyer in a firm that is now part of Dechert in the litigation, property and company commercial departments. It was a great introduction to the commercial world, which I had never experienced before. In this role I came to realize that I did not much like just dealing with paperwork and that for me client contact was an important satisfying factor in my work.

The realization took me to move as a Legal Adviser into industry, first at B.A.T Industries Group of Companies at which I gained both financial services and FMCG experience. My work was very international, allowing me to travel, principally in relation to the proposed acquisition of several state owned tobacco companies in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

Contracts and negotiations were also a large part of my role at M.W. Kellogg Limited, where I was Legal Director and part of an engineering and construction company in the oil and gas industry. Although the people were great to work with, I soon realised that this industry was not for me as I thought that their best days were behind them - that was before oil went up to over $140 a barrel.