19 APRIL2025W MAN LEADERGLOBAL W MAN LEADERGLOBAL What inspired you to create GEO Lawyers? Can you explain what the firm does, its core focus, and what your key responsibilities are as the Director of GEO Lawyers?With a team combining 20 years of experience as in-house legal counsel in a global environment, GEO Lawyers were created with the ambition to provide strategic legal solutions and advisory services to businesses operating across the Indoceanic region. It forms a strong partnership based on trust, transparency and teamwork, and a shared vision for the future. As a Director at GEO Lawyers, my responsibilities include overseeing the firm's expansion, ensuring its recognition in the market, and maintaining ethical standards. We are currently expanding within the Indian Ocean region, with plans to enter Africa. Our goal is not to compete with larger law firms, but to carve out our niche by leveraging our unique experience as former in-house counsel, which sets us apart in how we advise clients.What are the main areas you focus on to drive growth?The key focus areas for driving growth at GEO Lawyers revolve around three main expertise. First, I have a strong background in alternative legal services, which a distinct from traditional legal counselling and advisory services. Our second focus is leveraging our in-house counsel experience to provide tailored innovative, forward-thinking, and results-driven solutions for organizations. Lastly, as someone with ties to the Indian Ocean region, I aim to expand GEO Lawyers' presence in this area, while also collaborating with the best local lawyers in regions where we don't yet have a direct presence.Can you share some of the major obstacles you face in your current role and how you navigate through them?In my current role, I face multiple challenges, as we are a young firm. As a director, I'm also responsible for legal advising, business development, management, recruitment, and training, wearing many hats. These are the challenges that any entrepreneur encounters, regardless of gender, especially when starting a business. Despite being experienced in the field, it is a subtle exercise to balance strategic, management and operational roles simultaneously. To overcome this, I rely on hard work, and my passion for everything I do, transforming mistakes and setbacks into stepping stones. I believe that with passion, faith, and dedication, success follows. I teach my son to work diligently, and tell him that rewards will come. If you're no longer enjoying something, stay true to yourself and even if it seems hard, move on.What have been the most significant achievements in your professional journey, and what is your success philosophy as a leader?One of my biggest achievements was pioneering the in-house legal outsourcing model. In the late 90s, while there were few external service providers, so we created an internal legal home service centre that supported 250 lawyers globally. We started small, but the scope of our operations grew significantly, expanding in terms of matters, geography, and languages. This model proved successful because it was sustainable and easy to replicate in different countries, adapting to local business needs and languages like Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, and various European languages. My success philosophy is to be grateful towards my mentors and all the people who surrounded me and still support me during my professional journey. I always make sure to build a legacy for future generations, trying to make a difference in my day-to-day life.How do you envision the future of Mauritius's business environment? What role are women contributing to the country's economic development?The Indianoceanic islands, made of Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros, Seychelles, and Réunion should strive together to create a unique identity and strengthen their economic ties, as their skills are complementary, and their growth is interdependent. By steadily working together, they can form a unified economic presence that thrives amidst global challenges. My goal is to contribute to the promotion of regional integration and self-sufficiency, as well as the positioning of the Indian Oceanic area as a collective force in Africa and the Indian Ocean. On women's roles, I advocate for equality. Both women and men should collaborate, highlighting our shared humanity beyond gender, origin, or religion. Vision and emotions, which set us apart from AI, should remain central to our human experience.
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