Mr Mark Ziekman > CMS > Amsterdam, Netherlands > Lawyer Profile

CMS maintains a broad practice, assisting retailers with such matters as commercial contracts, brand protection, advertising and product liability issues. The team has also placed a growing focus on ESG matters under the leadership of practice co-head Aukje Haan, who spearheads the firm’s ESG efforts in the Netherlands, and is also sought after by clients seeking to implement new sales and distribution models. Alongside her is Mark Ziekman, who chairs the firm’s consumer products team and advises retail clients on cross-border mergers and joint ventures.

The commercial, corporate and M&A team at CMS is very experienced in representing national and international clients, predominantly financial institutions, private equity firms and funds, in M&A deals, joint ventures and strategic alliances. Practice head Pieter van Duijvenvoorde​ has expertise in private equity matters, and Roman Tarlavski, who has ‘exceptional strategic acumen‘, is a key name for cross-border work. Mark Ziekman is well versed in advising on mergers and takeovers.

A part of the wider consumer products team, food and beverages at CMS assists producers, retail, suppliers, and investors with cross-border and local food law related issues. Recently the firm has been focusing on ESG risk management and disputes on top of its established expertise in tech and energy sectors. Matters typically handled by the team include product liability, contamination and recall, product launches, labelling, IP, and data protection. Aukje Haan and Mark Ziekman co-lead the team, Haan is at the forefront of ESG-related matters, while Ziekman specialises in cross-border M&A and joint ventures. Litigator Rogier de Vrey advises on international patent and trade mark issues and Edmon Oude Elferink is the main contact for competition law issues such as abuse of dominance.