Team size: 3 counsels (Head of Legal and two Group Legal Counsels) and two economists (Compliance and Risk/Governance)

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

I joined BAMA Gruppen in 2024 as group legal counsel with responsibility for competition law — a role that was newly created within the organisation. Competition law has always been one of BAMA’s core legal areas, and the organisation has always worked proactively to ensure competition law compliance. My primary project has however been to establish and define the in-house competition law function at BAMA. The role has required and still requires me to gain understanding of the business, challenge existing assumptions and frameworks, and ensure internal visibility for both myself and my expertise to promote a strong compliance culture. The role has already become an integral part of the organisation, and competition law compliance is firmly embedded in strategic decision-making processes. Beyond this overarching project, I have also played a key role in the negotiation of several strategically important commercial agreements, and I have developed comprehensive onboarding and training programs to enhance legal awareness across the business.

What do you think are the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel to possess?

In my opinion and experience, the ability to communicate legal issues clearly and effectively is absolutely essential. This is in my opinion not about simplifying the law, but about making it accessible and relevant — about translating legal complexity into practical guidance that resonates with different audiences. It requires understanding of colleagues’ priorities, commercial pressures, and the organisation’s values and strategic objectives, and adapting communication accordingly.

That said, I believe what truly defines a modern in-house counsel is the ability to take an active role in shaping and strengthening the organisation’s compliance culture. This means not just responding to legal challenges and questions as they arise, but proactively establishing policies and principles, and helping to define the organisation’s identity and values in terms of compliance. When in-house counsel succeed in embedding a strong compliance culture, they are seen not as barriers, but as strategic enablers — an essential shift in a world that is increasingly characterised by complex and evolving legal frameworks.

What is a cause, business or otherwise, that you are passionate about?

One issue I feel strongly about is the importance of ensuring that new laws and regulations are introduced based on sound, evidence-based policymaking, and designed with respect to businesses’ need for legal certainty and predictability. Several examples could be cited to illustrate the opposite, but as a competition lawyer, I observe that the upcoming market investigation tool is being introduced despite significant resistance from a broad range of stakeholders.