Robert Blok
Group legal director
Virgin
Robert Blok looks after the legal aspects of Virgin investments across a whole range of industry sectors and oversees the relationship between Virgin’s diverse businesses and the external law firms to make sure they use the best practice in every country.
A recent highlight was advising on the strategic partnership signed between Virgin Mobile South Africa and the FRiENDI Group in 2012 to create Virgin Mobile Middle East and Africa. The deal saw him call upon South African firm Bowman Gilfillan for local advice.
Blok says he tries to do as much work as he can in-house, but with a team of just six he often has to go to external counsel. However, he is known to run a very tight ship and says: ‘We’re good at having fairly frank conversations so everybody gets to the right number.’
The entrepreneurial and progressive culture of Virgin suits Blok, particularly as he gets involved in commercial deals from the outset and isn’t left to ‘fight fires’ or forced to deal with things at the end of the process.
Law firms used: Allen & Overy, Bond Dickinson, Burges Salmon, Harbottle & Lewis, Macfarlanes, SNR Denton
February 2010 – present: Group legal director, Virgin
1999-2010: Solicitor, Macfarlanes