Adeyinka advances compliance to be a facilitator of growing business
Name: Alexander Adeyinka
Title: Corporate counsel, privacy & compliance
Company: H&R Block Canada
Years in the legal industry: 28
How did you get to your current role?
I started my professional legal career as in-house regulatory counsel for Sprint Canada, advancing to VP of regulatory law by the time Rogers Communications bought out Sprint Canada in 2005. I continued at Rogers and took on additional roles as associate chief privacy officer as well. In 2015 I went on to serve as general counsel, chief privacy officer and corporate secretary in an insurance industry anti-fraud organization. In August 2021, I joined the legal team at H&R Block Canada in the role of corporate counsel, privacy and compliance.
What are your key responsibilities at H&R Block Canada?
I provide support on legal matters pertaining to all aspects of the company’s Canadian business, with a specific focus on privacy, compliance management, and data security matters. I support our business teams by providing legal opinions and guidance on compliance in a broad array of operational and employment practices.
Compliance is a continuous improvement process. As compliance counsel, I have an integral role in maintaining and enhancing the company’s overall compliance program. This involves taking a proactive and hands-on approach to all activities relating to the ongoing development, implementation, adaptation, maintenance and adherence to H&R Block’s compliance policies and procedures.
What is your approach for handling privacy and compliance matters?
My approach is to adopt a win-win model. I aim to meet or exceed compliance while at the same time ensuring that business sustainability objectives are realized. Not a zero-sum approach. One of our legal department leaders once said that it is about striving to make the legal department a “business enabler,” so my approach is to make compliance a facilitator of – and not an hinderance to – H&R Block’s business strategy and objectives.
What are the main legal issues you are navigating this year?
Privacy and data governance is constantly a top item in large organizations that handle large amounts of client data. Privacy laws are also getting stricter, with new federal, provincial, and foreign requirements rapidly emerging. Continuing to meet and exceed compliance with these laws is a key area of focus in 2022 and beyond.
What are your key career goals and priorities this year and beyond?
Strengthening professional relationships with the business groups is paramount to an in-house counsel career. It should be a priority for in-house compliance lawyers who want to advance compliance to be a facilitator of business opportunities. By having a deep understanding of the business and emerging challenges the business teams are facing, the legal department can provide more impactful advice and help find solutions to issues as they arise.
How did you adapt to a new role during the pandemic crisis?
I think I adapted quickly because H&R Block’s staff onboarding processes have adapted to the pandemic environment; especially working remotely. I work remotely from Toronto although our head office and legal department are in Calgary. The arrangement enables me to be fully engaged with legal and our internal business teams.
What qualities do you look for in external counsel partners?
When evaluating law firms to help represent H&R Block, we first look at firms that have a deep understanding of our business and have a breadth of expertise in the many areas where we may need counsel.
We want outside counsel that can obtain the best possible result as economically as possible, keeping in mind the level of risk in each matter, and the need, at all times, to control expenses. So, while we expect thorough representation, we also expect that outside counsel endeavor to avoid unnecessary expense, discuss with us the strategy of the case or matter, and review each major step in the case or matter before it is taken.
We also expect matters that are assigned outside to be staffed by lead outside counsel with the number and level of personnel that are appropriate to render quality service in a cost-effective manner and with a knowledge and understanding of our business objectives.
