GC Spotlight: Jonathan Ollivent discusses his experiences in world leading model changes for the platform economy.

This month we have Jonathan Ollivent under the spotlight. Jonathan has been with Uber for 7 years. He joined from DLA Piper to support the UK worker status litigation, before moving in-house full time, expanding his geographical scope and has now been leading Uber's EMEA Employment Team for the last few years. Jonathan led Uber's Supreme Court litigation in the UK, as well as the subsequent launch of the first ever worker status model in the platform economy, which included the pension scheme, union recognition deal and subsequent litigation workstreams. Jonathan and the team handle all of the opportunities and challenges facing platforms across EMEA in the future of work space, including litigation, legislative developments, supporting Uber's continued growth and product launches. The team recently won a global employment team award to recognise the pioneering and often unprecedented work done on a daily basis.

1. Hi Jonathan, can you tell us a little about your role and journey into law? What excites you outside of work? 

I lead the Employment legal team at Uber for EMEA. The role covers traditional employees as well as the broader business of drivers, couriers and the future of platform work. Having qualified at DLA Piper, I joined Uber in the UK at the beginning of the status litigation which ultimately went to the Supreme Court. Having moved in-house, the sense of ownership and accountability really appealed to my style, and I’ve never looked back. Instead, expanding my geographical scope and being part of significant moments at Uber and the platform economy, including international litigation, world-first model changes, legal change and the remarkable growth at Uber.

2. As a Director of Employment for EMEA, what are some of the challenges that keep you up at night? How are you addressing them? 

The Employment Team is plugged into teams around EMEA. Whilst we work seamlessly across geographies, the team wellbeing is always front of mind, as is sharing learnings and experiences across multiple markets to ensure we are aligned but also benefiting from our experiences. We stay ‘one team’ despite being dispersed internationally through a range of methods, including meetings, knowledge sharing and 1:1 ‘coffee roulette’ chats to keep the team connected personally and professionally.

An important second to this is ensuring we are thinking strategically and proactively. Workload is high, meetings occupy the day and so finding time to identify what is important now and what may be later is a constant theme, which includes comprehensive outcoming planning ahead of any important developments.

3. What do you think about the use of LegalTech, data analytics and process optimisation to improve your legal department's value? 

We expect outside counsel to have effective legal tech solutions. In partnership with counsel, we recently operationalised an extensive settlement workstream involving building a portal to administer and process a complex settlement programme. That helped supplement complex workstreams and delivered value to the business in a tangible way.

Outside the work is finding analytical ways to ‘show the value’ of the team. That isn’t necessarily to defend headcount, but also to show off the great work done by the team. In employment law, much of this goes unseen and so it is an important part of showing the great value of the work the team is doing.

4. What trends do you expect to see in the legal services industry in the next 5 years? 

The use of data in reporting the work (quantity and value add) delivered by the legal team will play a big role. Companies typically are data driven, and the legal function is not. Whilst it is simpler to demonstrate the number and value of commercial contracts, or the value and outcome of litigation, building a better way to describe the tangible and intangible value of the in-house team will be ever more important. 

5.  Your favourite tune? And why? 

Pencil Full of Lead by Paolo Nutini. I approach life and work with optimism, energy and enthusiasm. This song has all of those things.