Team size: 2

What are the key projects that you have been involved in over the past 12 months?

As Head of Legal at REEEP, I have led our organisation’s efforts to establish a sister company based in the UK. I drafted the sister company’s articles of association and a framework agreement between REEEP and the sister company. These statutory documents strike the delicate balance of allowing the sister company to be considered an independent company while ensuring the right safeguards are in place so that it stays aligned with REEEP’s mission. I recently successfully registered the UK-based company. This is a milestone that expands REEEP’s outreach capacities towards donors and project partners in an increasingly competitive funding landscape.

Furthermore, I have ensured that REEEP’s activities comply with the Austrian regulatory framework. In particular, I have introduced a workflow before any submission for a new project to check whether potential new activities are in line with requirements under the Austrian tax law provisions applicable to non-profit organisations.

What strategies do you employ to ensure the successful digital transformation of a legal department while maintaining compliance with your country’s data protection laws?

I think of a legal department not as an isolated group, but as part of an organisation-wide team, especially as regards the digital transformation. As such, I employ the following strategies to advance digitalisation while complying with data protection laws:

Applying workflow management tools to digitalise internal processes: we have established a health, security and safety review process for business trips and integrated this process into our main workflow management tool.

Early involvement in how projects are set up: this is important to ensure data compliance in all communications between internal and external stakeholders. This includes approving the use of compliant software or IT tools, avoiding unregulated data collection by colleagues, and managing expectations within the team and management.

Regular review: data protection is not something which is dealt with in one go, but a continuous process. In my experience, it is important to check in with colleagues regularly and approach them proactively to suggest improvements. This particularly applies to the organisation’s website, social media posts, data collection at events, data retention periods, data-relevant HR matters, and the management of business data.

Research: in a fast-evolving environment, it is key to stay on top of legal trends. To do so, our legal team attends seminars, reads relevant newsletters and communicates with other organisations. This also facilitates the introduction of new tools and workflows to ensure that we are supporting the team in the best possible way.

What do you think sets you apart from other in-house counsel?

I have a keen interest in what my colleagues outside the legal team are working on. Our organisation focuses on renewable energy projects and development cooperation, and I am engaged in a wide range of issues. Examples include financial instruments in support of emerging markets, the most impactful sources of renewable energy in countries in the Global South, and conducting due diligence on the ESG policies of our projects’ end beneficiaries. Thanks to my good understanding of REEEP’s activities, I am capable of providing hands-on advice that allows my colleagues to drive forward the organisation’s mission. At the same time, this understanding is crucial for me to address the complex issues of legal compliance faced by our globally active non-profit association.