Working in the tobacco industry, compliance to laws and regulations is an absolute. To assist the Swedish Smokeless legal team in Sweden and ensure compliance to laws across the world, Sargis Grigoryan keeps an eye on all legal matters. In our series of interviews with the key people behind Swedish Smokeless Solutions and our global business, we sat down with Sargis and had a chat. There we talked about his journey, and about being the bridge between legal frameworks and sound international business.
Challenge accepted
Sargis Grigoryan’s professional journey ran through projects with the most ancient Italian Bank, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the Siemens Group, Asian Development Bank, the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Credit Suisse Switzerland, and other international organizations. He has more than 10-years of extensively diversified contract and corporate law experiences under international projects with worldwide partners extending over 20 different jurisdictions.
His scholar background in comprehensive research of legal doctrines under the laws of England and Wales has been published in international scholar journals across Europe. With that in his background, Sargis Grigoryan decided to embark on a new challenge. He joined GN Group to apply his expertise in shaping the growth and global expansion of the group.
“I’m the kind of a person who loves challenges. When something is complex but holds potential for growth, I choose that path. This helps the perception be more diversified and elevated in focus. GN Group’s operations were exactly that kind of intricate, multi-layered field, which immediately drew me in. The depth of the work and the scale of responsibility were things I came to fully appreciate over time,” says Sargis Grigoryan.
Legal Support on a Global Scale
GN LLC is a company in Armenia included in the same conglomerate group of Swedish and Armenian companies. That group includes, among many other entities, Swedish Smokeless Solutions AB.
“The legislative landscape for our products is not uniform worldwide. Each country has its own nuances, restrictions, and requirements. We conduct root risk analyses, assess opportunities, and build uplevel contractual frameworks to protect our balanced interests and minimize obstacles for all cooperative relations,” he explains.
According to Mr. Grigoryan, Swedish Smokeless implements innovative, and sometimes even revolutionary ideas. That requires the legal team to work daily on formalizing these concepts at legal and compliance levels.
“Our mission is to create quality through a stable, reliable, and flexible contractual environment that meets the international standards.”
Teamwork as the Key to Success
For Sargis Grigoryan, effective work is only possible in an environment built on collaborative growth and mutual trust.
“The workplace is always associated for me as a second home but in its professional sense. You must love what you do and see your colleagues as like-minded individuals with the same vision of goals. I engage in every project or related processes with full dedication. For me, it’s not just about external validation but the internal satisfaction of accurately overcoming professional challenges.”
The company’s legal operations are vast. Currently, it covers the EU, the U.S., Canada, the UAE, Qatar, the UK, New Zealand, Nigeria, Latin America, Oman, and beyond. This diversity demands constant legal analysis, comprehensive adaptation, and tailored legal strategies.
Lawyer, Creator, Scholar
Though law is Mr. Grigoryan’s primary profession, his interests extend far beyond conventional boundaries. He is used to publishing scholar articles on international business law, available in various European scientific and scholar journals. These have been published since 2015 when he graduated from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom.
But he is also a writer and composer. As such, he recently released a direction in music reflecting electro-pop genre fused with opera under Christian leitmotif lyrics, the original manuscript of which was under the contemplation to be presented to the Holy Etchmiadzin in Armenia, the UNESCO heritage site.
“It might seem unexpected, but I’m fascinated by experimentations—whether in law, science, or art. Creativity is my way of channeling the energy I’ve accumulated through professional, personal, and cultural experiences.”
Work-Life Balance: A Formula for Success
Despite a demanding workload, Mr. Grigoryan emphasizes the importance of balance. Married, and with two children, he prioritizes time spent with family and friends:
“I believe that if you are able to balance work and personal life, you can achieve rights things at right time in all your related areas, especially when the core values are love and discipline. That equilibrium helps me stay effective across all domains—whether in legal work, creative pursuits, or academic endeavors.”
