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<img src='https://www.suttonsgroup.com/wp-content/blogImages/Nicola Wignall Jennings Meet the Team.png'
How long have you been at Suttons and can you describe your journey and progression within the company?
I have been at Suttons for six years in July. I joined as the first group lawyer the company had had for several years so there was lots of work to do in establishing legal governance, standards and procedures initially. I also took over responsibility for the insurance team when the Insurance Manager retired which was a significant undertaking.
During my time at Suttons, I have developed excellent working relationships with the Suttons Board, as well as the Commercial and HR teams who I work very closely with day to day. My legal knowledge base has increased during my time at Suttons particularly in relation to logistics and marine laws and practices.
What does a typical day for Group Legal Manager/Company Secretary consist of?
A typical day is extremely busy and varied. I am a commercial lawyer so most of my day to day work centres on reviewing all the contracts which the Group, Tankers and International enter into. Most days I will be reviewing contracts and will have calls with the Commercial teams to provide feedback. I provide employment law advice to HR so I liaise with the HR team most days. I also frequently have calls with the external lawyers that we use for certain legal matters. As a lawyer it is important to keep my skills and knowledge up to date, so I must undertake a lot of Continuing Professional Development and Research. I am also the company secretary for all the UK companies in the Group, so I have to undertake company administration most days.
What have you recently achieved or been proud of in your professional life?
I am very proud of the new contracts we have entered into recently for BOC Cylinders, Nouryon, and Yorkshire Water. I have also recently delivered TUPE training to HR and Commercial, as well as recently settling a legal matter with an excellent result for Suttons.
What do you enjoy outside of work?
Outside of the ‘Covid-19 world’, I very much enjoy shopping and spin classes at the gym.