GC Influencers
Most Influential GCs - France
John Harrison of Airbus Group NV
John Harrison has served as Airbus’ General Counsel since June 2015, having initially joined the aerospace giant in 2000, after several years in private practice at Clifford Chance in London, New York and Paris.
He is recognised as a highly influential counsel with strong team leadership skills, responsible for a team of over 400 lawyers who oversee all legal and corporate secretarial matters such as negotiating contracts and handling disputes, IP, compliance and day-to-day operations.
Market sources are swift to recommend Harrison as a strong figure in the French GC market. One interviewee asserts: “He is well known and has also had a very significant workload having to do regulatory investigations at Airbus.”
Harrison holds an LLB and LLM from McGill University in Montréal.
Most Influential GCs - Global-wide
John Harrison of Airbus Group NV
John Harrison’s day-to-day challenges as general counsel of Airbus include heading a team of over 400 lawyers, overseeing the business’ vast range of commercial agreements, handling disputes work and ensuring that the aeronautics giant remains compliant with regulatory oversight across numerous global jurisdictions – no mean feat when working for one of the world’s largest commercial aircraft operators, the world’s largest civil helicopter manufacturer and the largest defence supplier in Europe. Harrison also faces the added complication of Airbus’ 15 year WTO battle with Boeing over alleged state aid, with both sides currently locked in an arbitration process at the international trade body, and an inquiry by the UK’s Serious Fraud Office into its sales practices. Airbus can, however, rely on Harrison’s deep experience in the aviation sector, having spent almost 10 years with various Airbus businesses, and his deep experience in private practice as an aviation finance expert at Clifford Chance.