Vice President Legal in London

Collinson is the global, privately-owned company dedicated to helping the world to travel with ease and confidence. The group offers a unique blend of industry and sector specialists who together provide market-leading airport experiences, loyalty and customer engagement, and insurance solutions for over 400 million consumers. Collinson is the operator of Priority Pass, the world's original and leading airport experiences programme. Travellers can access a network of 1,500+ lounges and travel experiences, including dining, retail, sleep and spa, in over 650 airports in 148 countries, helping to elevate the journey into something special.

We work with the world's leading payment networks, over 1,400 banks, 90 airlines and 20 hotel groups worldwide. We have been bringing innovation to the market since inception – from launching the first independent global VIP lounge access Programme, Priority Pass to being the first to sell direct travel insurance in the UK through Columbus Direct and creating the first loyalty agency of its kind in the travel sector with ICLP. Today we still invest heavily in innovation to ensure that we continue to deliver superior customer experiences.

Key clients include Mastercard, American Express, Cathay Pacific, British Airways, LATAM, Flying Blue, Accor, EasyJet, HSBC, Chase, HDFC. Our mission is focused on doing good beyond profit, which for us means we seek out opportunities for our people to share in our success and that we give back to the communities and people within which we work. Never short of ambition, the success of our business is delivered through the diverse and talented team of over 2,200 global colleagues.

Purpose of the job

The VP Legal leads a global team within Legal, providing high-quality legal and strategic support to Collinson International Limited and the wider Group. This executive role combines deep legal expertise with people leadership and strong business partnering, directly managing a sub-team and supporting the Chief Legal Officer in shaping and delivering the legal strategy. The VP Legal plays a key role in overseeing legal governance and risk management, while actively supporting the business through a period of growth and transformation. This includes ensuring legal frameworks, governance, and commercial contracts continue to evolve in line with Collinson's expanding global footprint and strategic ambitions.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as a strategic partner and deputy to the Chief Legal Officer, helping to implement the vision, structure, and goals of the global Legal Team.
• Lead, mentor, and manage a sub-team of legal professionals, overseeing matter allocation, workload management, and performance reviews.
• Role-modelling strategic partnership with all areas of the business, raising standards and the reputation of the Legal Team.
• Support the transformation of the business by ensuring legal frameworks, governance, and risk management align with evolving global operations.
• Collaborate closely with senior stakeholders to influence both day-to-day operations and long-term strategic direction.

Legal Governance & Risk Management

• Maintain and strengthen legal governance standards and oversee risk monitoring across international offices.
• Provide timely advice and updates to the Chief Legal Officer on legal, operational, and corporate matters.
• Deliver training programs and focused sessions addressing legal and industry-specific risks.
• Advise on corporate matters such as joint ventures, group-wide initiatives, and ad hoc corporate transactions.
• Provide legal support on intellectual property, compliance, litigation, data protection, and other risk-related matters.
• Support operational areas, including employment/People & Development matters, policies, and terms and conditions.
• Drive improvements in contract management processes, technology solutions, standard agreements, and legal policies.
• Ensure the Legal Team is an enabler of business growth through pragmatic, solution-focused advice.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Qualified solicitor or barrister (or equivalent) with significant post-qualification experience in commercial law.
• Demonstrated leadership experience, including direct management of legal professionals and support of executive-level decision-making.
• Demonstrates resilience and adaptability, with the ability to lead effectively through periods of change and business transformation.
• Strong commercial and strategic mindset, with the ability to partner effectively with business leaders to enable growth and transformation.
• Proven experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial and corporate agreements.
• Outstanding communication and analytical skills, with strong business judgment and a proactive, solution-driven approach.
• Experience operating in a fast-paced, international environment with multiple stakeholders.
• Flexible, adaptable, and entrepreneurial approach to legal and commercial challenges.
• Commitment to collaboration, integrity, and high professional standards.

Collinson is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes differences in all their forms including: colour, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, neurodivergence, family status, age, individuals with disabilities and people from all backgrounds, cultures and experiences as we strongly believe this contributes to our on-going success.