Adrian Morris
Group general counsel
Tesco
Adrian Morris’ team is vast – 250 staff, including 200 lawyers – but a company the size of Tesco needs a strong roster of external law firms to support that in-house team.
Going forward, he says he plans to focus on firms with a strong global reach as Tesco’s operations become increasingly international. Recent deals have included the £958m acquisition of 36 Homever discount hypermarkets from the E-Land group in South Korea in 2008 – a deal that positioned Tesco within the South Korean grocery market.
Law firms used: Allen & Overy, Ashurst, Berwin Leighton Paisner, DLA Piper, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
2012–present: Group general counsel, Tesco
2009-12: Associate general counsel, BP
2007–09: General counsel, Centrica/British Gas
2002–07: General counsel, Centrica Europe
1995-2002: Solicitor, BBA Group
