I was lucky enough to join the Lactalis Group 7 years ago and since then time has flown past !
I remember very quickly feeling that I was part of a 'big family'. The fact that I was immediately submerged in operational dossiers, the permanent support of the legal team, the warm welcome I was given by the people I work with and the induction sessions organised by the Group (finding out about the Group, factory visits etc.) can't have done any harm ! To tell you the truth, it all goes very quickly. You are so quickly immersed that you don't feel as if you are going through an induction period at all.
What does the position of Food Law Jurist consist in ?
To sum up, at the moment I am in charge of ensuring that the products and advertisements launched by the Group are safe from a legal point of view. My job consists of making sure that they comply fully with current regulations.
I therefore work with all the Group's main departments (marketing, R&D, quality etc.), and with projects at as high level as possible to define their legal status and how they will evolve.
Which particular features does the job have ?
Our main task is to protect the company and its products.
For this you have to be thorough (knowledge of texts), but above all it is necessary to be at the forefront of things, through listening, inquisitiveness, teamwork and a willingness to take risks. What is my objective ? The same as the people I work with : launching innovative and successful products that are perfect from a legal point of view. The main quality that you need to develop is to become a 'field' jurist : i.e. to adhere to the reality of the market and be as pragmatic as possible.
The Lactalis Group is a demanding company and you have to always do your best, but I always feel like the one who reaps the benefits. I am sure that my responsiveness, analytical skills and flexibility have improved a great deal.
What is the career path for a jurist within the Lactalis Group ?
I studied for a postgraduate diploma in agro-food law and then completed my education with a Masters in Management at Audencia (business school) in Nantes, which gave me a taste of the jobs in which I was going to work (marketing, sales, management control etc.). Within the Group, I was very quickly given a position of responsibility, as I replaced a more experienced lawyer. Over the years I became more independent and was entrusted with other projects.
Now I want to extend my skills to become a multidisciplinary company jurist. In particular, I would very much like to work internationally. Judging by the Group's current development, there should be a lot of work to do !
