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Winning In-House Rising Star
In the lead-up to the 2022 African Legal Awards, Africa Legal spoke to Jaco Theunissen who won the In-House Rising Star Award in 2021 to find out a bit more about this winning personality.
Theunissen is ACTOM’s Group Commercial & Legal Officer; he is an experienced legal professional with a demonstrated history of working in the engineering, construction, renewable energy, and mining related industries. This particular award sets out to identify the GCs of tomorrow and is open to in-house lawyers who are based in Africa, who do not hold the position of general counsel or head of legal, and have between four and ten years of experience.
Q: It's often the case that a specific category win at the awards evidences a broader delivery of exceptional undertakings by the recipient. What are the everyday attitudes and behaviours you strive for which you feel most closely align to your delivery of exceptional work?
A: A positive attitude coupled with daily discipline produces power to overcome challenging circumstances.
Q: What aspects of your life outside of work do you find most fulfilling and which grant the kind of “headspace” or positive outlook which are often so vital in taking professionals to the top of their industries?
A: A balanced lifestyle comprising regular exercise, quality time spent with family (my wife and two boys), and enjoying bucket list adventures with true friends.
Q: Who within your working environment do you consider most essential to your ongoing success and stability?
A: The everyday examples I get from our Group CFO and a specific Group Divisional CEO from a moral- and particularly a work ethics point of view is well beyond any price. How do lions teach their cubs? They show them.
Q: What most frustrates you about the delivery of legal services in Africa to this day?
A: Poor lead times, lacking effective communication and no value-added comments.
Q: What are you most excited about for your own future growth and development in a working context?
A: Learning never exhausts the mind, and there are still so many things that I need and desire to learn.
For your chance to join Jaco as a winner of a prestigious African Legal Award - be sure to submit your category entries prior to the 20th May deadline here
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