Phil Warren
Harpenden,UK
Summary
A Senior Lawyer and Business Leader achieving business outcomes in the fast paced and challenging retail and telecoms sectors. Commercially minded and adaptable with a reputation for building strong working relationships, managing complex legal issues and delivering legal services that align with business strategy, creating value. Breadth of experience across legal and regulatory compliance, corporate governance and risk management. An authentic and motivational leader with proven ability to lead teams, promote a positive working culture and develop innovative ways to work smarter.
Overview
30
30
years of professional experience
11
11
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certification
Work history
HEAD OF LEGAL & COMPLIANCE / DEPUTY GENERAL COUNSEL
Cornerstone
06.2015 - 08.2025
- Successfully established a strong in-house team to provide the right support across all key functional areas of the business. The team now totals 18 individuals (having started as a team of 2) across key disciplines in Property, Litigation, Commercial, GRC and Legal Operations.
- Supported negotiation of key MSA contracts with Vodafone and VMO2 as well as other M+A and financing transactions.
- Enabled successful delivery of Project Beacon (4G roll out) by significantly reducing legal transaction timeframes from 9 months to 90 days.
- Implemented various technology tools to drive greater efficiency and better delivery of legal and compliance services and manage legal cost spending including Diligent Boards, Adobe Sign, Apperio and a custom-built platform Keystone.
- Created and led an extended leadership team (ELT) to enable better links with the senior leadership team and other stakeholders/colleagues.
- Established a new Compliance programme and introduced a new risk management framework to make compliance and risk more accessible and relevant to colleagues.
SENIOR PROPERTY COUNSEL
Tesco Plc
01.2008 - 01.2015
- Company Overview: International and UK
- In my international role (2008-2013), I collaborated with colleagues in the various Tesco companies on property acquisition and development transactions across all store formats in Central Europe and Asia. I acted as the lead lawyer on the first sale and leaseback transaction in Korea for a new build distribution centre.
- Acted as legal adviser and corporate secretary to Tesco Group property committees.
- Acted as the project manager to deliver a successful response across the Tesco Group to the UK Bribery Act.
- In my UK role (2013-2015), I developed improved ways of working using process mapping to speed up the legal process for Express store transactions and delivered restructuring of arrangements with key external law firms to support this. I also led a strategic legal review of the UK store pipeline saving c£250m.
- Line manager for the UK alcohol licensing team.
- International and UK
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
Berwin Leighton Paisner
01.2006 - 01.2008
- Company Overview: London
- Six months secondment at Tesco working for Property Governance Director to support on governance of international acquisition and development transactions in Europe and Asia.
- Responsible for a wide variety of transactional property work for Tesco including site acquisition contracts for all store formats, site assembly, sale and leasebacks and asset management work.
- Lead lawyer for O2 on their head office redevelopment at Slough.
- Acted for Hammerson negotiating tenant pre-lets at their retail shopping centres.
- London
ASSOCIATE / SENIOR ASSOCIATE
DLA Phillips Fox
01.2002 - 01.2006
- Company Overview: Sydney
- Relationship manager and lead lawyer for two key clients advising on a variety of commercial property investment transactions and mixed use residential and retail development projects.
- Managed the disposal of a key office building in Sydney for the city council and acted for a residential development client on two new build projects.
- Sydney
TRAINEE SOLICITOR AND SOLICITOR
Read Hind Stewart
01.1996 - 01.2001
- Company Overview: Leeds
- Leeds
Education
International Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management - Enterprise Risk Management
Institute of Risk Management
08.2022 - 01.2023
Law LLb Hons - undefined
Nottingham Trent University/Nottingham Law School
01.1991 - 01.1995
Wisbech Grammar School - German, Geography and History
Wisbech Grammar School
01.1984 - 01.1991
Skills
- Strategic Legal Advice
- Stakeholder Management
- Team Leadership
- Enterprise Risk Management
- Legal Technology
- Regulatory Compliance
- Verbal and written Communication
- Judgement and Decision Making
Accomplishments
- Qualified as NSW lawyer, 01/01/03
- Legal 500 In-House Legal Team of the Year, 01/01/14, Real Estate
- Tesco Leadership Programme, 01/01/13
- Parent governor at The Grove Junior School, Harpenden, 01/01/15, 01/01/18
- Advanced Management Practice course at Henley Business School, 01/01/17
Certification
International Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management - Jan 2023
INTERESTS
- Sport - county and regional representative honours for hockey and cricket; school 1st XI cricket captain; National League hockey
- Road cycling and swimming
- Listening to live music and watching live sport
- Travelling/visiting new countries
- Cricket coaching
Timeline
International Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management - Enterprise Risk Management
Institute of Risk Management
08.2022 - 01.2023
HEAD OF LEGAL & COMPLIANCE / DEPUTY GENERAL COUNSEL
Cornerstone
06.2015 - 08.2025
SENIOR PROPERTY COUNSEL
Tesco Plc
01.2008 - 01.2015
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
Berwin Leighton Paisner
01.2006 - 01.2008
ASSOCIATE / SENIOR ASSOCIATE
DLA Phillips Fox
01.2002 - 01.2006
TRAINEE SOLICITOR AND SOLICITOR
Read Hind Stewart
01.1996 - 01.2001
Law LLb Hons - undefined
Nottingham Trent University/Nottingham Law School
01.1991 - 01.1995
Wisbech Grammar School - German, Geography and History
Wisbech Grammar School
01.1984 - 01.1991
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