Summary.
Adrian Thurston originally qualified as a litigation solicitor in private practice in the UK, but has spent a majority of his 26 year legal career in-house, working for a variety of global and international blue chip companies. As well as his solicitor qualifications, Adrian also holds a degree in Economics and Management Studies from the University of Leeds and a masters degree in IT and a post graduate certificate in Sports Law.
His most recent role was as Group General Counsel of SThree plc, where he provided strategic and purpose to the legal department to align with the company priorities. Prior to that, for over a decade Adrian acted as Director, then VP and Regional General Counsel, EMEA and Assistant General Counsel, for Starbucks Corporation. Adrian built an industry leading team from a green field site and developed a multi-jurisdictional and near full service legal team to support Starbucks business operations in 43 EMEA markets.
Adrian brings significant cross functional leadership team experience with him from his 11 years as a member of the leadership teams at Starbucks. Adrian is passionate about developing aspiring lawyers and legal teams and helping them articulate their value and contribution to businesses. Adrian is particularly adept at developing legal department strategies and identifying opportunities to create value for legal departments using change management and technology.
