General Counsel

Loveholidays was founded in 2012 and is the fastest growing online travel agent in the UK and the 6th largest ATOL holder. In May 2018 Livingbridge invested in loveholidays, enabling the company to accelerate growth through a combined strategy of customer acquisition and driving repeat booking rates, as well as expanding into new markets and developing the product range.

Loveholidays seeks to appoint its first General Counsel who will set an appropriate and international legal and governance framework for the business, which meets current and future shareholder, Board and management requirements and ensure it is rigorously enforced to grow brand equity, ensure appropriate control and protect the revenue of the business.

Reporting in to the CFO and working as a trusted partner to the wider leadership team, this individual will oversee responsibility for all legal matters, providing advice in a proactive, timely and cost effective manner to meet business objectives, appointing and appropriately managing external counsel when necessary.

The successful appointee will possess strong decision-making and analytical skills, as well as strategic business and legal sense. A positive, collaborative leadership style and the ability to grasp complex problems quickly and provide pragmatic direction and advice is required.

 Principal Responsibilities:

• Identifying and advising on a broad range of complex legal issues, evaluating risk, proposing practical solutions to the businesses and acting with appropriate urgency;
• Assume Company Secretarial responsibility for all company entities;
• Ensuring compliance as loveholidays expands into new geographical markets;
• Assisting with business development and corporate finance activities;
• Working closely with the Commercial, Marketing and Sales teams, drafting and assisting with the negotiation of various contracts including partnership arrangements, supply and services agreements and procurement matters;
• Ensuring loveholidays remains compliant with relevant international legislation and advising in relation to risk, governance and data protection;
• Proposing appropriate solutions and resolutions to legal disputes and litigation;
• Assist in preparing the Group for future exit by its private equity shareholders;
• Partnering with HR on employee issues.

Requisite Skills and Experience:

• UK qualified solicitor with a grounding of training from the corporate department of a leading law firm;
• At least 10 years’ post qualification experience including time spent working in-house in a B2C environment;
• Existing in-house experience covering a broad range of legal issues including international contracts and business transactions. Experience with technology transactions, procurement and internet business;
• The ability to handle multiple demanding clients in a fast-paced, growing environment which demands a quick and thoughtful legal touch and readily deliver pragmatic legal advice to all areas of the business;
• Collaborative, confident, robust and lacking in ego.

For further information or to apply, please contact our exclusively retained consultant, Laura Field at SSQ via email: laura.field@ssq.com or telephone 020 787 7437. Any direct or third party applications received will be forwarded to SSQ for consideration.  Please be assured that your application will remain confidential.