Middle East Country Leadership Team
Rachel Cosgrove
Head of Legal, Patents and Compliance at Bayer Middle East
Rachel Cosgrove serves as the Head of Legal, Patents and Compliance at Bayer Middle East, managing all aspects of legal and compliance issues across Bayer’s business divisions in the Middle East Region.
As an integral member of the Middle East Regional Leadership Team, Rachel brings over 20 years of legal and compliance expertise to provide strategic advice across the region. She delivers actionable commercial and legal insights to cross-functional teams, helping drive success for the Consumer Health, Pharmaceutical and Crop Science divisions. In her role as Data Privacy Officer, Rachel ensures full compliance with local and international data privacy regulations as part of her commitment to maintaining the highest standards of data protection at Bayer Middle East.
In her current role, Rachel’s responsibilities also encompass overseeing corporate governance across the region, managing internal policies, and ensuring compliance with external regulatory requirements. She leads Bayer’s compliance agenda by developing policies, enforcing compliance measures, and conducting investigations. With a commercially driven mindset, Rachel provides timely advice on various aspects of business operations, including sales and marketing, logistics, and interactions with industry stakeholders. She also manages litigation across multiple jurisdictions and handles a wide range of commercial agreements, covering areas such as distribution, warehousing, licensing, IT, sponsorships, and product trials.
A committed and engaged leader, Rachel is passionate about building a positive and high-performance culture within her team. She invests deeply in the growth and development of Bayer Middle East’s legal team, dedicating time to mentoring legal and compliance managers and delivering customized trainings in key areas. Rachel's spirit of collaboration extends externally, as she actively shares her expertise with the wider legal community through publications and presentations on intellectual property law, trademark infringement, and enforcement strategies at global seminars and industry meetings.
Before joining Bayer in April 2018, Rachel held a succession of senior roles at leading multinational companies including her position as the Head of Legal for East & Central Africa Area at British American Tobacco and as the Regional Legal Counsel and Compliance Manager for International Markets at Smith & Nephew. Rachel also started her legal career excelling in private practice roles with world class law firms including Allens Linklaters and Clyde & Co.
An active member of the legal community, Rachel is a member of several associations and committees including PHRMAG (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association) and the Global Association of Corporate Counsels.
Rachel Cosgrove graduated with first class honours in both her Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Science Degrees from the University of Sydney and is a proud alumna of the College of Law, where she earned her graduate diploma in legal practice.
Follow Rachel on LinkedIn.