Within a business, Chief Legal Officer holds a pivotal role, encompassing various responsibilities crucial for the company's legal and ethical compliance, risk management, and strategic decision-making. As a seasoned legal professional, Stephanie Hanson, Chief Legal Officer, Tag Worldwide has spent two decades honing her expertise in diverse legal areas. Stephanie's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is evident in her planned initiatives, aiming to foster social mobility and create an inclusive workplace.

In the following interaction with The Global Women Leader magazine, we delve into Stephanie Hanson's insightful perspectives on her journey, her key areas of legal expertise, challenges in her current role, and notable achievements throughout her illustrious professional trajectory. Let's read.

Guide us through the formative years of your life and elaborate on the early influences that played a pivotal role in shaping your identity.

From my childhood, those close to me often playfully remarked on my 'gift of the gab' and my naturally inquisitive nature. I experienced a relatively modest upbringing as one of six children born to Jamaican immigrant parents who had come to the UK in pursuit of hard work and providing for their family. This migration was a common theme among Jamaican immigrants during that era, driven by the aspiration to return to Jamaica for a peaceful retirement bathed in the warmth of the Caribbean sun. Our upbringing instilled in us the values of diligent study and giving our utmost effort to any task at hand, always with the underlying awareness of the need to exert ourselves twice as much as our peers. Our household was characterized by conservative values, with a strong emphasis on religion and orderliness, marked by regular church visits and family dinners around the table.

Share details about your educational background and the factors that led you to enter the field of law.

My educational journey took an unconventional path within the realm of the legal profession. Initially attending a local comprehensive school, I pursued further and higher education at mid-tier institutions without initially envisioning a career in law. It was only during my degree that I realized my deep passion for the subject and envisioned myself as a qualified lawyer. At that juncture, I wouldn't have been perceived as a candidate meeting the criteria for what many referred to as 'the milk rounds.' These rounds typically involved top-tier law firms, classified as either Magic Circle or Russell Group (ranking in the top 20), visiting prestigious universities to promote the advantages of training at their firms and identify potential trainees.

“The early shift to in-house positions has endowed me with a broad skill set, akin to a chameleon, as long as i uphold foundational principles, know where to seek information, remain open to learning, & cultivate a supportive team”

You have built an illustrious career in the legal field over the past two decades. Can you take us through your vast and expansive professional journey so far?

My career trajectory originated with an application for a psychology degree, driven by my enduring fascination with human behavior. However, a last-minute decision led me to switch to a law degree, primarily influenced by the location of the university campus, close to home. Despite initially envisioning a blend of psychology and law in private practice, focusing on criminal or family law, my career took a different turn when I entered the corporate sector early on.

Over the past two decades, I've navigated diverse roles in the travel industry, contract research, mortgage origination and servicing, sustainability, publishing, and currently, advertising/production. The early shift to in-house positions has endowed me with a broad skill set, akin to a chameleon, as long as I uphold foundational principles, know where to seek information, remain open to learning, and cultivate a supportive team.

Tell us about Tag, and highlight your role as the Chief Legal Officer and the key focus areas within the firm.

Tag Worldwide stands out as an award-winning end-to-end creative production agency, offering a spectrum of services encompassing production shoots, virtual shoots, social media, technology, consulting, and sourc­ing/channel activation for marketing and promotional collateral. We take pride in collaborating with major global brands such as Heineken, Proctor & Gamble, Uni­lever, Estee Lauder, GSK, Lego, and Mondelez.

In a significant development earlier this year, dentsu, one of the largest global advertising and media networks with revenues exceeding 1 trillion JPY, acquired Tag Worldwide. As part of this transition, I was offered the opportunity to serve as Chief Legal Officer, an incredible career milestone, and I’m excited for the journey ahead. In the immediate future, my focus revolves around facilitating the seamless integration of Tag into the dentsu family while preserving Tag's distinctive brand identity and services. Moreover, I aim to shape the Legal, Risk & Compliance function to deliver prompt, effective, and pragmatic support to the business.

Additionally, my responsibilities will extend to contributing to Tag's Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG). As showcased on our website, every decision is made in consideration of our people, our planet and our communities, and I’m particularly passionate about Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and especially social mobility. I firmly believe in 'paying it forward.' For instance, I hope to establish a pathway at Tag for promising talent from socially diverse backgrounds to enter the legal profession by offering apprenticeship experience training within my team. I am also keen on implementing a reverse mentoring scheme that encourages senior leaders at Tag to gain firsthand insights into the needs and experiences of junior employees.

What message would you share with aspiring women leaders/entrepreneurs?

I recently conveyed this advice to my colleagues at Di­versity Amplified, a professional community I recent­ly joined to support and promote diversity initiatives: ‘Collect your accomplishments, including any words of support or recognition you've received along your career path. Create a mental or physical repository—a 'scrapbook'—to revisit during moments of self-doubt, when facing imposter syndrome, or when in need of a confidence boost. These personal reminders of your achievements will serve as your energy drink or 'pow­er song' during a marathon. Recognize that there's no reward for doing things the hard way. Don't hesitate to seek guidance from those who have traveled the same path and discovered faster, more efficient methods to achieve similar results.’

Stephanie Hanson, Chief Legal Officer, Tag Worldwide

Stephanie Hanson, currently serving as the Chief Legal Officer at Tag Worldwide, pursued her education at Swanshurst Girls School in Birmingham and attained her LLB from the University of Greenwich. She continued her academic journey at the College of Law to complete her LPC. Outside of private practice, she has held roles in a variety of sectors including the travel, education, sustainability and publishing.