Team size: Nine

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

Leadership in a global aviation company means operating in an environment where crises are not episodic but structural. The COVID-19 pandemic, which brought global aviation to an unprecedented standstill, was a stark reminder of how quickly external shocks can endanger the operational and economic core of an airline. Against this backdrop, resilience, strategic foresight and coordinated legal governance define the foundation of my leadership approach.

During Condor’s and its mother company Thomas Cook´s insolvency and the turbulent years that followed, our legal department became a stabilising force for the entire organisation. We supported the company through the immediate crisis response during the pandemic and continued to steer legal strategy in subsequent transformative phases, including the fleet renewal programme, complex state aid and competition law proceedings, and the company-wide rebranding. These examples illustrate the breadth of crises and strategic shifts that require a legal function capable of acting both decisively and holistically.

By applying radical transparency, scenario-based legal risk modelling and Legal Design-driven communication methods, we ensured that senior management and operational units were equipped to make rapid, aligned and legally robust decisions. At the same time, we strengthened cross-functional crisis governance so that legal considerations were embedded early and consistently across business processes.

Today, this approach forms part of our departmental DNA. We operate with VUCA-oriented principles – addressing volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity proactively -, and we build structures that enable the organisation not merely to withstand crises, but to emerge from them strategically strengthened. This resilience-based legal leadership continues to guide us as we support Condor’s transformation into a future-ready and globally competitive airline.

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?

As Head of Legal, my goal is to transform the legal function into a strategic enabler of innovation. Our digital strategy rests on three pillars: 1) AI-driven operational excellence, as we deploy a tailored Legal Tech ecosystem, including contract automation, AI-supported analytics, and workflow orchestration. A particular focus lies on developing in-house legal chatbots, which we train on aviation-specific content. These chatbots will support business units with rapid, consistent and compliant legal guidance, reducing friction and empowering decentralised decision-making; 2) GDPR-aligned governance and trust, with secure innovation. All tools are implemented with stringent DPIAs, data minimisation, access controls and vendor governance. This ensures that digitalisation accelerates processes without compromising trust or compliance; and 3) by empowering people and fostering change, as successful transformation is ultimately cultural. Through co-creation formats, team training, and transparent leadership communication, we embed digital skills, encourage experimentation and promote an innovation-friendly mindset. This positions the legal team as a catalyst for company-wide transformation.