Team size: Two

What are the most significant cases, projects and/or transactions that you and/or your legal team have recently been involved in?

Our Group acquired two leading lodges (Divava and Le Mirage, both in Namibia) for the leisure and hospitality portfolio (O&L Leisure). The transaction required merger approval which was obtained unconditionally.

Furthermore, O&L terminated the franchise agreement with Pick n Pay South Africa and embarked on our own Namibian retail chain, Model, which required the establishment of, amongst others, an inhouse buyer team and marketing function. (3) O&L is in the process of selling its joint control stake in Cleanergy Namibia – the first and to date only green hydrogen producer in Namibia.

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

The O&L Group’s business activities are diverse and include retail, leisure, renewable energy, property (ownership and management), engineering, fishing and information, communication and technology (ICT).

The focus of the past year was to establish the legal department as an integral part of Group operations and management. Given the diverse range of industries in which we operate an internal legal department was long overdue and we will continue in the coming years to expand the team of professionals to serve the widespread, specialist and evolving interests of the Group.

Have you had any experiences during your career as a lawyer that stand out as particularly unique or interesting?

I was particularly fortunate to get significant M&A, commercial deal structuring and drafting experience across numerous sectors during my time at Engling, Stritter & Partners. The experience gained when drafting mergers is particularly helpful in learning to understand some of the industry specific intricacies at play.