Interview with Décideurs/RH
Blandine Cordier-Palasse is the founder of BCP Partners. A former lawyer and member of prestigious boards, she co-founded Le Cercle de la Compliance in 2010 and has established herself as a leading figure in the fields of governance, legal affairs and compliance. In her view, the legal function is insufficiently represented on comex. Here are some explanations.
Décideurs RH. What are your observations on the development of the legal function within major groups?
Blandine Cordier-Palasse. The legal function is evolving and is increasingly present within groups. However, its position still varies widely. Depending on the sensitivity of senior management, which sees the law as an economic and strategic weapon, the Legal Director may be a member of the Comex. However, many groups continue to consider this function as a support function, placed in the codir - operational - but exclude it from the strategic level of the comex.
What difference does this governance structure make?
The difference is significant because, depending on the position of the legal department within the organisation, its role changes radically. A legal department on the comex is involved upstream in strategic discussions and decisions. It can therefore interact with its peers - the other members of the comex - knowing the ins and outs and deal with the issues raised in good time. Otherwise, it is necessary to relay the information, and this downward movement from the comex to the legal department necessarily involves a risk: either the information is simply not passed on, or it is passed on through a bias.
As a result, an administrative and financial department often only sees the company's strategy through the prism of its expertise, without considering the legal perspective. This wastes information, proactivity and time. a fortiori is often significant and detrimental to the company.
Is there a change in the role that justifies the systematic overhaul of governance that you are calling for?
Yes, and the subject is all the more fundamental because the legal function has become an economic weapon, and its influence is becoming increasingly cross-functional. It is involved in all matters affecting the company: governance, external growth operations, demergers, French and international contracts of all types, insurance - including legal and extra-financial risks that cannot be insured, public affairs, etc.
The legal function is also often responsible for compliance, which is approached in an increasingly pragmatic and operational way, with a method and a strategic vision, to help managers and the business comply with regulations, which are changing extremely rapidly. As the guarantor of the company's reputation and solidity, the legal function is truly the guardian of the temple, and companies would do well to give it a strategic place on the comex.
To what do you attribute the lack of representation of the legal function within comex?
I have often observed a lack of interest in legal culture in France. Until recently, business schools were fairly devoid of law courses, and conversely, law studies had no business dimension. Strangely enough, these two worlds never crossed paths.
Today, more and more legal directors have a global, business and strategic vision as the CEO's right-hand man. They are business partnersThey are increasingly familiar with the business ecosystem and the problems faced by operational staff. They are developing an appetite for complexity, abstraction and technology. This approach feeds knowledge and improves the efficiency of processes and contracts, in both directions.
Business schools now offer courses in law, although not as many as finance courses, but this is a change in mentality that deserves to be highlighted. Lawyers are becoming increasingly pragmatic, and it would be in our interests if, from an early age, law students were to go out into the business world to understand all the issues, through work placements for example.
For my part, I'm working on this, giving regular talks to students and teachers.executives to explain to them all the issues covered by the legal function, compliance and governance.
Are legal issues considered differently elsewhere?
The situation is completely different in the United States, and more generally in the Anglo-Saxon world, where the positioning of the law and legal culture is essential, to the point where even private individuals very often have a lawyer, and the legal profession is a key factor in their success. general counsel is the CEO's right-hand man.
In France, general managers who have had international experience see it as a matter of course to have legal expertise on their comex.
Which sectors are most advanced in this area?
I don't think it's a question of sector, but of personality. Like the major international groups such as Schneider Electric, where until recently the General Counsel, the American Peter Wexler, was a role model for the function. He has a real vision for the group and for the role of the legal function - whether in terms of fluidity or education in the dissemination of legal issues to teams - in the service of management and the business, and more generally in the group's ecosystem, very much in touch with internal and external stakeholders.
On the French side, Nicolas Guérin at Orange is also exemplary.
What qualities do you think are needed to take on this role?
More and more legal directors are of Anglo-Saxon origin or have lived abroad: this is a major advantage when it comes to dealing effectively with global issues. The international aspect is key, and I often strongly advise law students to do an LLM abroad rather than a second Masters in France. Fluency in English is essential in this field if you want to be open to these international issues. Secondly, it's all about leadership, charisma, courage and the personality of the individuals who make it possible for them to understand what's at stake in each department and to make an impact.
"In France, general managers who have had international experience see it as a matter of course to have legal expertise within their comex".
A legal director is a pilot, a conductor of all the group's functions in order to bring everyone together to achieve the company's strategic objective.
You're taking on more and more CSR recruitment: what's the current status of this function within companies?
Depending on the group, CSR is approached in different ways. The CSRD, which was to be applicable from 2025 with reporting from 2024, represents a turning point. Depending on the sector of activity, the impact of CSR can be considerable, and has been closely monitored for a long time, due to its link with the Group's business. core business of the company, as is the case at Air Liquide.
"From being seen as a constraint, CSR is becoming an opportunity".
Today, in addition to the environmental aspect, social and governance issues are becoming increasingly important. All this calls for special expertise and, at the same time, a macroeconomic perspective. You need to be able to understand the figures, analyse them and use them to drive continuous improvement, which will influence the overall performance of your teams, your business and your company. Initially perceived as a constraint, CSR is becoming an opportunity, as was the case with compliance.
Your baseline for many years has been: "The most important thing is human capital". How does this motto guide you in your approach to the business world?
This motto has guided me since the first day of BCP Partners, since I wrote it into my signature fifteen years ago. An organisation without people, without a sense of belonging and cohesion, is nothing. Unfortunately, human capital is still seen as a cost and represents the adjustment variable in times of crisis. Yet making staff redundant can leave its mark both externally - on the company's reputation - and internally, where the people who remain may be traumatised to have seen their colleagues discarded like Kleenex.
Today, this heritage helps to create a desire for balance in individuals that leads them to set their own conditions: candidates want to see their children grow up, be able to work from home and find alignment in their professional and personal development. Women and men forge a company's reputation. With a good image, it is more likely to attract the best talent, creating a virtuous circle for performance. I'm proud to contribute to this as a headhunter.
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