Australian Corporate Lawyer - Autumn 2017

acla.acc.com
a global operations model.” While at Alcatel,
his career flourished and after more than two
years, his successes on projects in the Middle
East and Africa resulted in an opportunity to
join the team negotiating a major acquisition
in China. He was promoted to the role of
general counsel for Alcatel China and the
North East Asia area in the Shanghai-based
Asia Pac headquarters of Alcatel. There he was
able to focus on his other passions, mergers
and acquisitions and major commercial
projects in Asia.
During this period Le Frapper was
instrumental in completing a range of
projects, one of which included restructuring
a portfolio of subsidiaries in Asia and led to a
company-wide position of assistant general
counsel at Alcatel’s headquarters back in
Paris. In this role, Le Frapper managed teams
in Australia, the Asia-Pacific region, China,
New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, and
Taiwan to streamline legal functions for the
company. Moreover, he supported strategic
restructuring of joint global ventures with
Asian partners and the post-merger design of
Alcatel and Lucent.
“This was a complicated period for the
company in light of multi-jurisdictional FCPA
issues and the challenges of post-merger
integration of two very different business
cultures. I actually relied heavily on several
FCPA and compliance resources created
by ACC to build my compliance expertise
for day-to-day management,” Le Frapper
explained. “ACC’s resources and connections
in the regions I managed are why I joined
the association and eventually sought out a
leadership role within the organisation.”
After the merger, Le Frapper went on to
oversee a large legal team, focused on the
south of Europe and emerging markets (Africa,
Middle-East, India and CALA) in Vélizy, France.
He the returned to the company’s Paris office
to serve as vice president, general counsel,
and compliance leader of its networks group;
an aggregate of the core business and
product divisions (wireless, wireline, optics,
routers, radio frequency systems,
and submarine cables) boasting 17,000
employees worldwide.
“Operating as one of the largest
telecommunications organisations meant an
increased level of scrutiny, for our team and
the company; and a focus on an even more
robust reporting structure for compliance
issues,” Le Frapper explained. As the
compliance leader and advisor of corporate
affairs, his team guided C-suite level decisions,
which resulted in supporting the first 4G LTE
networks in the United States, and a 12 billion
euro turnover in 2012. “It was an incredible
experience to spend time with heads of
product development so passionate about
innovation and technology,” Le Frapper said.
Marhaban Qatar: Le Frapper’s exemplary
achievements at Alcatel-Lucent shined
a light on his methodical approach to
business and legal practices. Soon after,
Gulf Bridge International, a privately-owned
telecommunications provider based in Doha,
Qatar, named him the Chief Legal Officer and
Company Secretary. “The opportunity to use
my skills to expand a small law department
and move from a telecom supplier to a service
provider operating an international telecom
network came at the perfect time in my
life,” Le Frapper said. “I had five never-boring
jobs at Alcatel-Lucent but I was ready for a
second overseas adventure. This new role
was my chance to apply my corporate and
business knowledge to managing a team and
operations in the Middle East.”
At Gulf Bridge, Le Frapper wore many hats,
including manager of a small law department
human resources and administration
supervisor. The latter of which was an
eye-opener to the critical human resources
dimension of corporate and business
challenges. As the company secretary,
he became a trusted advisor to enhance
corporate governance standards. Less than
four years later, his life as a global citizen
came full circle when he returned to France
to work as the general counsel for ChetWode,
a Paris-based multijurisdictional investment
management business. ChetWode assists
other European companies with financing
needs through production asset financing.
With nearly half of ChetWode’s corporate
transactions implemented overseas, Le
Frapper’s unique skills in global business
management are crucial. “Today, organisations
of all sizes operate on a global scale.
Therefore, coupling legal experience with
tools to assess and manage risks allows for
greater fluidity and better management of
business operations.”
Le Frapper understands from experience, that
having a diverse professional background
creates a wealth of opportunities as well
as relevant skills to manage diverse legal
matters. From his roles as outside counsel,
in-house lawyer, chief legal officer and
compliance officer, Le Frapper developed
business acumen and strategies. As a result,
he is able to better represent his companies
and continue to shape the future of business,
from corporate planning stages to the career
trajectories of his team members, helping
them achieve the same great successes.
VOLUME 27, ISSUE 1 – AUTUMN 2017
39