Speakers
Claudia Fochtmann-Tischler, partner, M&A, Baker McKenzie
Claudia Fochtmann-Tischler is a leading member of the Vienna Corporate/M&A Practice Group, where Claudia successfully co-leads all M&A transactions our Firm’s Vienna M&A team advises on. Claudia is a distinguished, experienced and driven M&A lawyer with extensive knowledge in advising and guiding clients in cross-border inbound and outbound mergers and acquisitions, carve-out transactions and complex national and international corporate reorganisations for more than 14 years. From 2011 to 2021 she worked as an associate and then senior associate at one of the largest independent Austrian law firms, where Claudia advised national and international clients in all kinds of corporate matters, corporate reorganizations and mergers and acquisitions with a strong track record in the banking sector. In 2013, she gained valuable experience in the legal department at a listed Austrian company in the textile industry.
Desiree Prantl, partner, dispute resolution, Baker McKenzie
Désirée is a partner in our Dispute Resolution Practice Group. Her practice encompasses international commercial arbitration and state court litigation. Désirée is experienced with disputes in the construction, energy, telecommunications and post-M&A sector. Our global, international and domestic clients entrust Désirée with the most delicate disputes and value her smooth and prudent conduct of proceedings and high-level work products.
Désirée is a member of the National Advisory Board of the International Arbitral Centre of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (VIAC). She lectures at the University of Innsbruck and the Austrian Arbitration Academy and regularly publishes and speaks on contemporary topics in the field of dispute resolution. Désirée also engages in pro bono work, spreads the Firm’s Diversity Inclusion & Equality policy and supports women in law initiatives. Prior to joining Baker McKenzie, Désirée worked at an internationally renowned law firm and gained working experience in New York, London, Paris, Kiev and Brussels.
Heiko Haller, partner, dispute resolution, Baker McKenzie
Heiko Haller has represented clients in more than 40 international arbitration cases involving disputes that arise during major infrastructure, construction and IT outsourcing projects. He is particularly experienced in disputes involving large energy projects, such as the construction of nuclear power plants and offshore wind farms.
Heiko co-chairs Baker McKenzie’s German Dispute Resolution Group. He also advises pharmaceutical companies in contractual disputes and serves as an arbitrator in M&A-related disputes under the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce and German Institute of Arbitration. In Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration 2023 – Future Leaders, Heiko is mentioned as “forward-thinking and innovative” and comes highly recommended for his “thorough approach, sharp mind, and seamless management skills”. In Who’s Who Legal 2020 Heiko is “highly recommended” by peers as being “very strong with disputes in the pharmaceutical industry.” He “knows the game” and is “one of the best you can find”, and he is “knowledgeable arbitration lawyer” with a “very bright mind”. Heiko is recognized for his “clear written communication and negotiation skills” in Legal 500 (2015) while “Clients praise Heiko Haller for his commercial mindset” in Chambers Global (2017).
Markus Altenkirch, partner, dispute resolution, Baker McKenzie
Dr. Markus Altenkirch joined Baker McKenzie’s Dispute Resolution Practice Group in 2012. Markus holds a doctorate degree in international arbitration and obtained a master’s degree in law with a special focus on international arbitration at King’s College, London. He teaches at the University of Mainz and regularly publishes in the field of international arbitration. He is the editor of Global Arbitration News, Baker McKenzie’s blog on international arbitration, and served as a co-chair of DIS 40, an initiative by the German Arbitration Institute (DIS) for young arbitration practitioners in Germany from 2018-2021. In 2019, Markus developed together with a team of lawyers the Disputes Clause Finder, an online tool to create a fit-for-purpose dispute resolution clause. In 2021, Markus has started his own podcast series: #zukunft. Markus, and his colleague Lisa Reiser, interview leading arbitration practitioners and in-house lawyers on the future of international arbitration.
Markus is described by peers as an “outstanding professional who is definitely one of the future leading arbitration lawyers” and by clients as “a quick-witted, extremely bright and reliable lawyer and an expert on arbitration with a deep understanding of the in-house world.” Markus is ranked as Future Leader in International Arbitration by Who is Who Legal and was awarded the Lexology Client Choice Award 2021 and 2022 for Arbitration in Germany. Wirtschaftswoche lists Markus as one of the leading arbitration practitioners in Germany.
Clemens Ofner, partner, Anwälte Burger und Partner
Dr. Clemens Ofner is a founding Partner of ABP and has been a leading figure in Austrian and European intellectual property law for more than two decades. Admitted as an Attorney-at-Law in Austria and a member of the Munich Bar Association, he earned his doctorate in 2000 with a dissertation on trademarks as assets and brand valuation.
Dr. Ofner specialises in Austrian, European, and international trademark, design, copyright, domain, and competition law, with extensive experience in both prosecution and litigation. His practice also covers IP contracts and the strategic monitoring of IP rights. He is consistently recognised in prominent international IP rankings.
An active member of MARQUES, ECTA, and INTA, he has participated for many years in the INTA and MARQUES Annual Meetings, contributing to the international dialogue on brand protection and IP policy.
Hannes Burger, managing partner, Anwälte Burger und Partner
Dr. Hannes Burger is the Managing and Founding Partner of ABP, established in 2008, and one of Europe’s few dual‑qualified practitioners admitted both as an Attorney-at-Law (Austria and Munich Bar Association) and as a European Patent Attorney. With nearly twenty years of experience in cross‑border IP litigation and enforcement, he advises clients across sectors ranging from mechanical engineering and medical devices to chemicals and biotech. He is Austria’s first Attorney-at-Law to also qualify before the European Patent Office.
A registered UPC representative, Dr. Burger is widely recognised for his expertise at the intersection of IP, software, and AI. He serves as domain expert for patentbutler.AI and has played a central role in the development of the AI-driven systems uptoIP® and Patent Butler, a collaboration between uptoIP GmbH and IBM. His work has earned him repeated recognition in leading international IP rankings.
Dr. Burger contributes to the next generation of IP professionals as a co‑examiner at CEIPI (University of Strasbourg) and represented Austria at the AIPPI study committee on AI and copyright at the 2025 Yokohama Congress. He is a frequent speaker at major industry events, including IP Service World 2025 in Munich, IBM Think 2024 in Boston, and Bitkom 2024 in Berlin, and has been a regular participant at the INTA Annual Meeting for several years.
Thomas Ruhm, managing partner, Austria, Fieldfisher
Thomas is Managing Partner of Fieldfisher Austria. He is an international M&A and corporate lawyer and works in the areas of corporate finance, private equity and capital markets law. Most of the transactions he leads are cross‑border and multi‑jurisdictional. He has advised numerous well‑known technology and energy companies on a wide range of legal matters and has an extensive network in the CEE/SEE region. Thomas is admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales.
Philipp Reinisch, partner, Fieldfisher
Philipp heads Fieldfisher Vienna´s tech&data practice. Philipp advises on technology-driven business models with a focus on data protection and information law, AI, cybersecurity, and tech disputes. He supports clients ranging from start-ups and public bodies to multinationals on data, digital media, and telecoms projects, and regularly helps organisations on tech m&a and contentious proceedings as well as implementing new business models and governance frameworks.
Manuela Weixlbaumer, head of intellectual property, KEBA Group
Manuela Weixlbaumer is Head of Intellectual Property at the KEBA Group, where she leads the strategic and operational IP function with a focus on trademark and copyright law, risk management, and IP governance. Alongside her corporate role, she is an independent trainer and keynote speaker, teaching and speaking on Intellectual Property, the legal dimensions of AI, personal branding and social‑media law, digitalisation, and female empowerment.
Her background spans roles as an IP specialist, executive assistant to the CEO and legal associate in private practice and the public sector, complemented by extensive experience in adult education through WIFI Oberösterreich. She brings a clear, accessible communication style to every setting and is committed to making legal topics understandable for broad audiences.
Dr. Christian W. Schaumann, general counsel, Teufelberger
Christian W. Schaumann is General Counsel at Teufelberger, a leading international manufacturer of fibre ropes, steel wire ropes, and strapping solutions. He oversees the group’s legal strategy and its compliance management system, covering areas such as commercial and contract law, M&A, corporate governance, data protection, and the digital transformation of in‑house legal services.
Before joining Teufelberger, he served as Head of Compliance at Greiner AG, one of the world’s foremost producers of plastics and foam solutions. His nearly 25 years of experience as an in‑house lawyer across diverse industrial sectors underpin his pragmatic, solutions‑driven approach to legal counsel and his expertise in designing and implementing effective compliance frameworks.
Nicole Christ, senior legal expert, Constantia Flexibles
Nicole is a senior commercial lawyer with over 15 years’ experience advising international, highly regulated businesses across complex jurisdictions. She is known for strong commercial judgment, excellent communication and negotiation skills, and effective leadership in multi-stakeholder environments.
She has broad expertise in commercial law, regulatory compliance, data privacy, and risk management, supporting both B2B and B2C operations across the EU, Eastern Europe, Russia, the CIS, the United States, and Australia. Nicole is particularly valued for her ability to bridge legal and business functions, delivering pragmatic, commercially aligned solutions in complex international and cross-cultural settings.
She holds an LL.M. in Business Law from UCLA School of Law, a law degree from the University of Adelaide, and a Diploma in International Business from the University of Oxford, and is admitted to practise in New York and South Australia.
Markus Scheffler, head of product management, LexisNexis
Markus Scheffler is a Vienna-based product leader and currently Head of Product Management at LexisNexis Austria. He has extensive experience in product and media management with a strong focus on digital information services and legal tech solutions. In the past two years, his team has driven the successful launch and market adoption of Lexis+ AI in Austria, delivering advanced AI-powered legal research and drafting capabilities to legal and tax professionals. As the platform evolves into Lexis+ with Protégé, the AI assistant Protégé will expand into a comprehensive workflow solution, supporting end-to-end legal work through secure, domain-specific Generative AI built on trusted, authoritative content. Prior to his current role, he held progressive product management positions within the professional publishing industry.
Philipp Egger, head of legal, Austria, CRIF
Philipp Egger is an Italian-qualified lawyer and Head of Legal at CRIF. CRIF is an internationally active information service provider and is best known in Austria as a credit reference agency that supplies companies with creditworthiness, identity and risk information. Philipp Egger is particularly close to practical questions around regulation, data protection and governance in a legally highly exposed environment.
Silke Schimmerl, general counsel, Coveris
Silke Schimmerl is the General Counsel of Coveris, a leading European packaging manufacturer, bringing a highly insightful in‑house perspective from an industry that does not rely on data‑driven business models but nevertheless must practically implement the relevant AI, data protection and cyber regulations.
Patrick Winkler, paralegal, Kwizda Group
Patrick Winkler joined the Kwizda Group in 2019 while studying law at the University of Vienna and currently supports the organisation as a Paralegal across a wide range of legal matters.
His key areas of focus include data protection and compliance, IT law, legal technology applications and artificial intelligence. Working at the intersection of regulatory requirements and technological advancement, Patrick prioritises pragmatic, efficient solutions that uphold legal standards while keeping pace with innovation.
Alongside his role at Kwizda, Patrick is completing his judicial clerkship (Gerichtspraxis) at the Regional Court of St. Pölten.
Steering Committee
Sandra Krebs, country legal director, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company
Sandra Krebs is Country Legal Director at Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, leading a high-performing team of three with a strong reputation for business partnership, agility and impact. Her team has recently supported a range of strategic initiatives, from advising on photovoltaic system investments and implementing a Green Fleet, to contributing to the company’s innovative LitePac Top Strap packaging solution. Alongside this, they have streamlined sales projects, simplified contracts and delivered a robust Compliance Agenda, including annual Ethics & Compliance Week and ongoing training programmes.
Known for a proactive, solution-oriented legal strategy, Sandra embeds legal expertise directly into business processes to enable faster decision-making in dynamic and uncertain environments. Digitalisation is central to her approach, with extensive use of legal tech across contract management, procurement, compliance and e-learning. Under her leadership, the Legal Department achieved a Net Promoter Score of 96, the highest-rated department in the Austrian organisation.
Before joining Coca-Cola HBC in 2016, she served as Head of Compliance Office at Austrian Airlines.
Steering Committee
Eva Hickl, general counsel, Schindler Österreich
Eva Hickl is general counsel and compliance officer of the Schindler Group Austria, where she leads all legal, compliance, data protection and governance matters across the Austrian operations and selected Central and Eastern European holdings. She advises senior management on strategic legal issues, complex corporate restructurings, M&A transactions, large-scale projects and sustainability initiatives, and regularly manage sophisticated cross-border matters involving multiple jurisdictions.
In addition, she serves as managing director of a group holding company, with responsibility for corporate governance, shareholder matters and the legal oversight of international subsidiaries. Prior to moving in-house, Eva spent more than a decade at a leading international law firm, advising multinational corporates, financial institutions and entrepreneurial families on high-value transactions, corporate reorganisations, governance frameworks and compliance programmes.
She holds a doctorate in law, an LL.M. in International Tax Law, and a certified compliance officer.