Ed Smith
General Counsel
Telefónica UK
Ed Smith certainly paid his dues before becoming GC at Telefónica UK in 2010: he has been with the company for 11 years. During that time, he has seen his company demerge from BT, rebrand into O2 and finally be acquired by Telefónica in 2005. So when he says, ‘I started absolutely at the ground floor’, he is not being too modest.
Noted for his ‘wealth of knowledge in the mobile sector’, his career highlight to date is to have been a part of the 2007 deal with Apple for exclusive rights to market the iPhone in the UK.
When comparing his role to others, Smith likes to think that his company takes a slightly different approach to using its legal function. He says: ‘My boss does not say to me: “I want you to go out and sue X number of people and recover Y amount of money”. Some legal teams are like that. They are treated as profit centres, we are not. Our instructions are to concentrate on the business of Telefónica UK and to help it succeed.’
Law firms used: Ashurst, Baker & McKenzie, DAC Beachcroft, DLA Piper, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Herbert Smith Freehills, Morisons Solicitors, Pinsent Masons, Shoosmiths, Simmons & Simmons, SJ Berwin n September
2011-present: General counsel, Telefónica UK
2010-11: Head of legal, Telefónica UK
2009-10: Head of corporate and commercial and deputy legal director, Telefónica UK
2001-09: Commercial legal counsel and senior counsel, Telefónica (O2 until 2005)