Globe-trotting Bjarne Tellmann, general counsel of consumer health giant Haleon, started out as an actor, then studied political science and economics, and finally found his home in the law.

Born in Paris, Tellmann is the son of a Norwegian diplomat and American mother, and he split his time growing up between Oslo, New York and Cairo as his father's postings changed.

His path then took him from high school in Norway to the conservatory school for the arts in Boston, to film and TV roles in Scandinavia, then to study political science at Boston University and to obtain a graduate degree at the London School of Economics, before earning his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School.

"The first year of law school was like a revelation," he said. "I just absolutely loved the confluence of disciplines."

His legal career also has spanned continents. He started with White & Case LLP in New York, Stockholm and Helsinki, then joined Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in Frankfurt, Germany. He then went in-house with Kimberly-Clark based in London and worked with Coca-Cola in various places — first in London and then in Vienna, Athens and in Tokyo as general counsel for Japan, and then in Atlanta as associate general counsel for the corporation.

After becoming general counsel at publisher Pearson in New York City in 2014, Tellmann left in 2020 to join GSK Consumer Healthcare in London as general counsel.

GSK brought him in to help it spin off Haleon and take it public in 2022. It was the largest listing on the London stock exchange in a decade. Haleon, which produces the painkiller Advil, Sensodyne toothpaste, Centrum vitamins and more, instantly became a Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index company.

Tellmann talked with Law360 Pulse this week about his well-traveled career, why after one year he is "retooling" his legal department, and how having a black belt in karate may help him be a better lawyer. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

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