Event information
Legal 500 is delighted to host the GC Summit: Netherlands 2025 in Amsterdam on 26 November, bringing together the country’s leading in-house counsel for a day of knowledge-sharing, practical insight, and professional exchange.
In shaping the agenda, we surveyed the market and spoke directly with GCs to identify the issues they most want to discuss. The programme will cover cybersecurity and data privacy, financial regulation and banking compliance, ESG and sustainability, AI and automation, competition and antitrust, dispute management and cross-border litigation, and emerging risks in technology, supply chains, and corporate governance. Sessions will also explore governance, compliance, risk management, and the evolving demands of leadership, all of which are central to the Dutch and wider European legal landscape.
The event will feature a mix of panel debates, practical case studies, and open conversations with senior general counsel and industry experts. The aim is to share ideas that not only set out a long-term vision but also offer practical solutions that can be put into practice straight away.
As with all Legal 500 gatherings, the day is also about community. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with peers, exchange perspectives, and build relationships that extend beyond the event. The day will conclude with an informal reception, providing a relaxed setting to continue discussions and strengthen professional connections.
GC Summit: Netherlands 2025 promises to be an important gathering for in-house legal leaders who want to stay ahead of developments, sharpen their approach, and contribute to the future of the profession in the Netherlands.
Agenda
8.30am–9.00am Registration and refreshments
9.00am–9.10am Welcome address
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- Allan Cohen, senior research editor, Legal500
9.10am–9.40am Impact of geopolitical developments on the role of the legal profession (internal and external)
At the core of their responsibility, legal advisors (internal and external) must act as business partners to their clients. However, against the backdrop of geopolitical developments, this role may need to evolve further into a strategic one, incorporating increased elements of compliance and risk management.
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- Mariken van Loopik, partner, Linklaters
9.40am–10.30am Building Responsible AI in Legal Practice
Artificial intelligence is transforming the practice of law, but with opportunity comes responsibility. This panel will explore how legal teams can implement AI tools while safeguarding ethics, data protection, and professional accountability. Speakers will share practical approaches for risk management, compliance, and governance in AI adoption, showing how responsible AI can enhance efficiency without compromising trust or legal integrity.
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- Allan Cohen, senior research editor, Legal500, moderator
- Anastasia Scrève, product and client counsel, LEGALFLY
- Mateusz Wrzesinski, VP and head of international legal affairs, Barilla
- Gitte Groenewold-Wong, head of group legal, Prosus
10.30am–11.00am Coffee break
11.00am–11.50am Forward-Looking Climate Information: Legal Pitfalls and Climate Reporting in 2025
This session will examine the legal risks associated with publishing forward-looking climate information and consider the practical challenges faced by general counsel in preparing the 2025 annual report, including the incorporation of climate-related disclosures. Attendees will gain guidance on navigating real-world dilemmas while ensuring regulatory compliance and meeting stakeholder expectations.
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- Daniella Strik, partner, Linklaters, moderator
- Marco Frikkee, partner, sustainability reporting, KPMG
- Suzanne Debrichy, lead environment (ESG), PostNL
- Anne-Lize van Dusseldorp, director sustainable entrepreneurship and member of the Executive Team, Aalberts N.V
11.50am–12.20pm A GC Perspective on Balancing Legal and Strategic Priorities
General Counsels today are expected to contribute to business decisions as well as manage legal risk. This discussion looks at how senior in-house lawyers balance legal and commercial considerations, embed legal thinking into business strategy, and support effective decision-making across their organisations. We will share practical examples from different sectors and reflect on how the role of the GC is changing.
Financial markets are evolving rapidly, with regulatory frameworks continually adapting in response to technology, cross-border transactions, and systemic risk. This session will examine key regulatory trends affecting banks, asset managers, and corporates, including compliance obligations, enforcement strategies, and emerging risks. Panelists will provide actionable insights for legal teams navigating complex regulatory landscapes while supporting business growth.
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- Allan Cohen, senior research editor, Legal500, moderator
- Fleur de Roos, general counsel, Fourthline
- Mischa Menheere, head of legal, Investancia Group
12.20pm–12.25pm Closing remarks
12.25pm–1.30pm Lunch and networking
Speakers
Mateusz Wrzesinski, VP and head of international legal affairs, Barilla
Mateusz currently holds the position of VP, Head of International Legal Affairs at Barilla Group, an acclaimed Italian food company. In this role, he oversees all global legal matters outside Italy, spanning diverse regions across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa.
Mateusz spent the initial decade of his career in private practice as an M&A lawyer at renowned international law firms such as Allen & Overy, a London-based magic circle law firm, and Dentons. Seeking new challenges and aiming to contribute his expertise to highly regulated multinational corporations engaged in cross-border ventures, he transitioned to in-house roles. Notably, he served as the Legal Director CEE & MEA at Bacardi and later as the Senior Legal Director at LivaNova Plc, a NASDAQ-listed medical devices company.
Mateusz possesses a diverse spectrum of expertise encompassing commercial and corporate law, M&As, competition law, and intellectual property. His particular interest lies in emerging technologies and big data. Throughout his career, he has been a trusted advisor, offering invaluable counsel to clients and employers navigating operations in over 110 countries.
Mariken van Loopik, partner, Linklaters
Mariken is regarded as one of the Netherland’s leading regulatory lawyers.
Mariken heads financial regulation practice in Amsterdam. She focuses on matters of strategic importance to financial institutions, with a particular emphasis on governance, suitability, capital and liquidity requirements, recovery and resolution planning and ongoing obligations regarding internal governance, remuneration, inducements and product governance and offering. Mariken also advises on licence requirements for a broad range of financial institutions, including banks, broker dealers, insurance companies and payment institutions.
Mariken has broad and deep experience in advising on regulatory matters that arise in complex transactions, including high-end M&A, restructurings, relocations, and capital markets transactions. Mariken has extensive experience of advising banks, insurers, payment institutions and wealth management firms on regulatory compliance matters, including contentious matters representing clients in DNB, ECB, SRB enforcement proceedings.
Mariken is actively involved in legal education, currently serving as a lecturer at the Grotius Academy and previously as a senior practitioner lecturer in the Law & Finance Department at Oxford University. She also sits on the board of the Association for Financial Law in the Netherlands. Mariken has been recognised as a “leading individual in financial regulatory” by Legal 500 every year since 2019.
Anastasia Scrève, product and client counsel, LEGALFLY
Anastasia Scrève started her career as a corporate M&A lawyer at Freshfields (Brussels office). As a lawyer, she was managing complex M&A transactions, working on due diligences and advising listed & private companies.
After this experience, she pursued a Master in Business Administration at INSEAD, one of the world’s leading business schools, with campuses in Singapore and France. During that year, she understood that AI will change the way legal work is done and eventually decided to join LEGALFLY, one of the fastest growing AI scale-ups from Europe.
Today, in her role of a Product & Client Counsel, she is both shaping the product and advising clients on how to implement AI in their daily workflows, thereby bridging the gap between AI and legal counsels.
Fleur de Roos, general counsel, Fourthline
Fleur de Roos is General Counsel at Fourthline where she helps guide the leading digital identity and KYC provider through the fast-moving fintech regulatory landscape. With a background spanning top-tier law firms, financial regulation, and founding her own legal tech company, she brings both legal rigor and entrepreneurial insight to the role. At Fourthline, Fleur focuses on navigating complex compliance challenges while ensuring the company stays ahead of shifting EU regulations, making trust and fraud prevention a competitive edge for fintech clients.
Gitte Groenewold-Wong, head of group legal, Prosus
Gitte Groenewold-Wong is Head of Group Legal at Prosus, a leading Dutch-listed technology company and one of the world’s largest tech investors. Prosus is the power behind leading lifestyle ecommerce brands across Europe, India, and Latin America, unlocking an AI-first world for 2 billion customers.
As leader of the Group Legal Team, Gitte oversees legal and investment support to Prosus’ key group functions in combination with legal operations to streamline and optimise work(flows). She also serves as a board member for several Prosus group companies and sits on two compliance committees.
Bringing over 20 years of expertise in corporate law, financing, compliance, and legal innovation, Gitte’s background includes top-tier private practice at NautaDutilh and Van Eps Kunneman Van Doorne (Curaçao), co-founding law firm Legaltree, and various legal interim assignments. Gitte is recognised for her pragmatic leadership and drive to combine legal excellence with operational efficiency, by leveraging automation and AI.
Daniella Strik, partner, Linklaters
Daniella heads Linklaters’ litigation practice in the Netherlands. She has a wealth of almost 30 years’ experience acting as counsel in complex, high profile, multi-jurisdictional litigation, including as defense counsel in a number of high-profile collective actions. Daniella is a professor of international litigation at Radboud University of Nijmegen, with a focus on ESG-related topics. Her recent inaugural address focused on Green Governance Claims: litigating corporate climate (in)action, (mis)information and (mis)management. She is a highly regarded speaker on topics at the intersection of ESG and (mass) litigation and governance and reporting issues. Daniella was inducted into the Legal 500 Hall of Fame, recognizing her as one of the lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for her longstanding involvement in market-leading work in the Netherlands.
Marco Frikkee, partner, sustainability reporting, KPMG
Marco is a partner working on the wider Sustainability reporting challenges. Working in the range from sustainability strategy to target-setting, regulatory compliance, reporting and assurance on CSRD (sustainability) information. Worked for a main part of his career as a financial auditor in the financial sector, where he build deep expertise on reporting, controls, governance and data. He is able to link this financial reporting requirements to (new) climate and sustainability reporting challenges coming from changing regulations and capital market needs.
Allan Cohen, senior research editor, Legal500
Allan is a Senior Research Editor at Legal 500, responsible for global GC insights and international research on corporate counsel and law firms. He also regularly hosts high-level events and roundtables. His previous experience includes consulting engagements with MEPs and higher-education institutions in Southeast Asia.
Mischa Menheere, head of legal, Investancia Group
Mischa Menheere is widely recognized for his expertise in building Legal & Compliance functions from the ground up for fast-growing and international organizations, enabling them to scale and attract investors. As (fractional) General Counsel, Mischa has successfully established and led Legal & Compliance infrastructures at ICL Group, West Coast Supply Group and, most recently, Investancia. His pragmatic leadership has empowered these companies to build shareholder confidence by creating strong legal foundations that support sustainable growth and ensure robust governance and compliance. With a background in both top-tier private practice and international business, he is a trusted advisor to boards and executive teams, known for aligning legal strategy with business objectives and delivering legal solutions that add meaningful value to the company.
Suzanne Debrichy, lead environment (ESG), PostNL
Suzanne Debrichy is Lead Environment at PostNL, responsible for developing and managing the company’s Climate Transition Plan and its pathway to net-zero emissions by 2040. She drives PostNL’s environmental strategy, integrating CO₂ reduction, sustainable operations, and compliance with emerging ESG and climate reporting regulations. With over seven years of experience in sustainability and logistics, Suzanne focuses on translating complex policy and regulatory frameworks into actionable business strategies. She brings a practical perspective on how large organizations can embed climate governance and deliver measurable impact across their operations and value chains
Anne-Lize van Dusseldorp, director sustainable entrepreneurship and member of the Executive Team, Aalberts N.V
Anne-Lize van Dusseldorp is director sustainable entrepreneurship and member of the Executive Team of Aalberts N.V. and is responsible for sustainable entrepreneurship, including sustainability, health & safety and property risk. She brings experience in environmental, social and governance topics and currently leads the health & safety, risk and sustainability network. She originally joined Aalberts in 2015 as legal counsel governance.
Before joining Aalberts, Anne-Lize started her professional journey as a corporate lawyer at the (international) law firms Hogan Lovells and Van Doorne with experience in M&A, private equity and corporate governance.
Born in 1979 in the Netherlands, Anne-Lize graduated in Dutch and notarial law.
In association with
Linklaters is one of the world’s leading law firms. We are a high-performing, diverse team of exceptional, talented and highly motivated individuals who handle the biggest and most transformational mandates for the world’s leading corporates, banks and financial sponsors.
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