A businessman in a lawyer’s body
The president and general counsel of PPG EMEA, Pedro Serret Salvat, explains how he leads the legal department of the chemical multinational with a turnover of $5 billion in the region, the strategic role of the legal department and the challenges of operating in a multicultural and regulatory environment
by julia gil
Pedro Serret Salvat joined PPG Industries in 2011 as regional director of legal affairs, and since 2016 he has been general counsel for the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa). In 2023, he also assumed the regional presidency of the group. From this dual responsibility – legal and strategic – he coordinates a legal team of 20 professionals spread across Europe and advises the executive committee and the company’s European management team on legal, regulatory and business issues.
A businessman trapped in a lawyer’s body. Previously, he held key positions in international groups as head of transactions at Adecco, based in Zurich, and as legal director at Sogeti (Capgemini Group) in Paris. He also developed his career in private practice, in the Brussels office of Gómez-Acebo & Pombo, in the areas of mergers and acquisitions and competition law. Today, Serret combines legal and compliance oversight in a Fortune 200 company – a global leader in paints, coatings and specialty materials, with operations in nearly 70 countries and a workforce of more than 50,000 people, 16,000 of them in EMEA – with an increasing involvement in business decision-making.
How is PPG’s EMEA legal department structured and organized?
Currently, the EMEA legal team is made up of 20 people. Approximately 70% are lawyers (more commercial and contractual), while 30% are in the compliance area. Specifically, I have five direct reports: four lawyers and one legal operations manager, who are with me in Switzerland. The rest of the EMEA legal team is spread across the region – or Switzerland, the Netherlands, Poland, France, the UK and Finland – reflecting our growth through acquisitions in recent years. Our team is agile, versatile and covers multiple areas, apart from Environmental Health & Safety, a critical area where we have one specialist professional. Being a chemical company, safety is very important to us.
What strategic objectives have the legal department set for the coming years?
Our approach is completely aligned with PPG’s global objectives: to grow organically and gain in productivity. A few years ago, the legal team operated with its own operational strategy, but now we work closely with the priorities of the business.
PPG operates in highly regulated sectors such as chemicals and coatings. What are the most critical or high exposure legal areas in your day-to-day work?
Business development, contract management, safety and compliance are key in our day-to-day work. In addition, we have a person in charge of governmental affairs who reports directly to me. In a highly regulated industry, it is vital not only to comply, but also to anticipate regulatory changes. Intellectual property is also strategic, as we are constantly developing new products and technologies.
As president and general counsel in EMEA, how do you balance the legal approach with the business vision?
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