Aminata Kake, Group General Counsel of Befimmo.

AMINATA KAKÉ IS THE GENERAL COUNSEL AND SECRETARY GEN-eral for Befimmo SA, a regulated real estate investment trust based in Brussels. Kaké also serves as Befimmo's chief compliance officer and is a member of the company's management committee. Befimmo invests in, leases and manages office buildings located mainly in the center of Brussels, other main Belgium cities and in Luxembourg. The company invests in major projects that meet its criteria, such as location, architecture, services for its tenants and respect for the environment.

LEGAL TEAM: The legal team is made up of two units that operate from Brussels. The legal corporate team, consisting of two lawyers, is in charge of running the corporate bodies, financial transactions, regulatory issues, mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, financial and nonfinancial communication, compliance and ethics, internal restructuring, procurement services contracting and litigation related to those fields. The legal real estate team, made up of six lawyers, is dedicated to the operational real estate activities, such as leasing, urban planning legislation, environmental issues, construction service contracting and commercial litigation. The two teams work closely together, particularly in complex transactions.

OUTSIDE COUNSEL: Kaké says she has always focused on building strong and trusting relationships with outside counsel based on their technical expertise. "I ensure they fully understand the DNA of the company, its strategy, market position and risk profile," she says. Among the firms she uses are Liedekerke Wolters Waelbroeck Kirkpatrick, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, Linklaters and Jones Day.

DAILY DUTIES: "My daily duties are very diversified," Kaké says. As a member of Befimmo's management committee, Kaké and other committee members make decisions daily on business development, investments and divestments, major commercial deals, partnerships, human resources, financial transactions and other matters. As the GC, Kaké has final responsibility for the global legal support of the company's business development, corporate governance, regulatory affairs and the representation of Befimmo in several professional organizations to promote issues relevant to the company. Kaké also is a director of the Belgian Association of Listed Companies and contributes to legal publications or is a guest speaker/discussion panel member addressing corporate governance, corporate law or financial regulations.

ROUTE TO THE TOP: Kaké says she started her career in 2000 at Dexia Bank, currently Belfius Bank, as an in-house counsel specializing in corporate banking, project and structured finance, international insolvency proceedings and debt restructuring. In mid-2004, she became deputy to Dexia Bank's general counsel, assisting her in the supervision of the 120-lawyer legal department. At the end of 2005, Kaké joined Dexia SA, the financial holding company of the same group, as deputy to the global GC. In that role, she had daily management of a team of lawyers and one economist at the holding level and of the heads of legal corporate departments in the United States, Europe and Turkey. "Among other things, during this period, I contributed to the bailout process of the company, just after the 2008 financial crisis and to its restructuring until mid-2012," Kaké says. She says she then decided to take on a new challenge by joining Befimmo in 2012.

PERSONAL: Born in Brussels, Kaké is a French national of West African origin. She says her parents met during their university studies in the U.S. "This multicultural background allows me to see an issue from different perspectives," she says.

LAST BOOK READ: "I enjoy reading about and discussing philosophy, psychology history and leadership," Kaké says. Among the last books she read are "The Leadership Mind Switch—Rethinking How We Lead in the New World of Work" by D.A. Benton and Kylie Wright-Ford and "The Future of Leadership—Rise of Automation, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence" by Brigette Tasha Hyacinth.

PRIORITIES: Contributing to Befimmo's strategic developments is at the top of Kaké's list of priorities. "The way we work is drastically changing and this creates new market opportunities and new challenges," she says. Kaké also says that "supporting each team member in her or his own career path and personal development remain constant priorities as key success factors."