Jonathan Jowett
Company secretary and general counsel
Greggs
Jonathan Jowett’s most recent victory against the government-imposed ‘pasty-tax’, which raised Greggs’ share price by 9%, turned into a public remonstration generating over 500,000 petition signatures and protests in Whitehall.
Greggs’ annual external legal spend totals a little under £1m, with a large amount being spent on commercial property advice. With around 100 new shops every year and an estate extending to over 1,650 stores that are largely leasehold, Jowett deals with numerous ongoing lease renewals and licences each year.
He says he is keen on law firms that offer excellent service at affordable prices and frequently uses two firms: Eversheds – Greggs’ lead law firm – for commercial property advice and Squire Sanders in other areas, such as employment.
Law firms used: Eversheds, Squire Sanders
2010-present: Company secretary and general counsel, Greggs
2009-10: General counsel, Bakkavor Group
2005-09: Group legal director and company secretary, Wagon
1999-2004: Group legal director and company secretary, SSL International