Career Biography

Hasmik Baroian-Haftvani is a distinguished legal executive with over two decades of extensive expertise in international corporate law, compliance, capital markets, and M&A. Trained and based in Vienna, Austria, she has cultivated a career at the nexus of legal precision, strategic advisory, and cross-border governance, consistently delivering legal solutions aligned with complex international business objectives.

A graduate of the University of Vienna in Law, Hasmik completed her judicial clerkship at the Vienna Higher Regional Court and was admitted to the Austrian Bar in 2013. Multilingual and culturally adept—fluent in German, Armenian, English, French, and Spanish—she brings a truly international outlook to her practice.

Since 2022, Hasmik Baroian-Haftvani has served as General Counsel of Kontron Group, a leading global IoT and embedded computing technology provider, listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. In this capacity, Hasmik Baroian-Haftvani leads legal operations at the highest level—advising the Executive and Supervisory Boards, managing complex M&A transactions (including legal due diligence, negotiations, and post-merger integrations), overseeing capital markets compliance and corporate governance, and driving legal innovation in ESG, data protection, and compliance management programmes. Her ability to integrate legal strategy into business goals has made her a trusted advisor at Board level.

Prior to joining Kontron, Hasmik held a senior legal leadership role at Alstom (formerly Bombardier Transportation), where she was Site Legal Counsel in Vienna and Compliance Coordinator for Central Europe and Israel. She also assumed the HR Legal Manager position, supporting a workforce of 700+ employees. She was instrumental in advising on high-stakes public procurement and infrastructure projects across Zurich, Manchester, and Jerusalem, and handled complex arbitration and litigation matters involving multi-million-euro claims.

Before her in-house roles, Hasmik worked at Law Offices Dr. F. Schwank, advising diplomatic missions and clients on Austrian civil, real estate, and corporate law, and assisting in the establishment of an intergovernmental organisation in Vienna with full diplomatic immunities. Earlier experience includes legal work at DORDA, a major Viennese law firm, and real estate transaction management at CBRE. Her early career began at UniCredit Bank Austria, where she supported embassies and diplomats as part of a high-potential trainee programme.

Her legal acumen is enriched by international experience with institutions such as the Austrian Foreign Ministry (Beirut), UNHCR, the International Red Cross (Venezuela), and the United Nations Headquarters (New York). She is co-author of a respected legal commentary on the Austrian Patent Act (Stadler/Koller, Linde Verlag, 2019).

Committed to service beyond the profession, Ms Baroian-Haftvani serves as a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters, provides pro bono legal counsel through Caritas, and is an active member of Vienna’s rowing community—as an athlete, certified referee, and regatta organiser.

Ms Baroian-Haftvani is widely regarded as a strategic and principled legal advisor, known for her analytical rigour, decisiveness, and ability to navigate complex legal landscapes with diplomacy and foresight.

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

Over the past 12 months, I’ve been deeply involved in several major M&A projects, playing an active role across all phases — from due diligence and negotiations to the closing and subsequent integration efforts. One of the most significant undertakings was the post-merger integration of an entire corporate group, a complex and demanding process that spanned around 24 months in total. This phase was particularly intense but also highly rewarding, as it required a combination of strategic insight, legal acumen, and close cross-functional collaboration.

In parallel, I continued to be heavily engaged in various corporate law matters, ensuring that our legal frameworks and governance practices remained robust and aligned with our strategic objectives. I also managed our intellectual property portfolio, which is a key asset for us as a technology-driven company, safeguarding innovation and supporting our competitive edge.

Beyond that, I dedicated substantial time to navigating capital market regulations, making sure our group remains fully compliant with all applicable requirements. Compliance more broadly has been a major focus — particularly in the ongoing development and implementation of our Compliance Management System. I was involved in launching several important compliance initiatives across different business areas, aimed at reinforcing a culture of integrity and accountability throughout the organisation.

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

In my view, a modern in-house counsel needs to combine deep legal expertise with strong business acumen and strategic thinking. Today’s legal departments are not just service providers — they’re integral partners in shaping a company’s direction and managing risk proactively.

Some of the most important attributes include:

Commercial mindset – understanding the business, its drivers, and its challenges is essential to providing pragmatic, solution-oriented legal advice.

Strong communication skills – the ability to explain complex legal issues clearly to non-legal stakeholders is critical for building trust and enabling sound decision-making.

Agility and adaptability – business environments change rapidly, and an effective in-house counsel must be able to adjust priorities and approaches accordingly.

Technological literacy – with increasing reliance on digital tools, data protection, and automation, a modern counsel must stay informed about relevant technologies and legal tech innovations.

Compliance and ethics leadership – beyond managing legal risk, in-house counsel play a key role in fostering a culture of integrity and ensuring the company operates responsibly.

Ultimately, it’s about balancing legal rigour with practical judgement, and being a proactive, trusted advisor who helps the business navigate complexity and seize opportunity.

Based on your experiences in the past year, are there any trends in the legal or business world that you are keeping an eye on, of which you think other in-house lawyers should be mindful?

Yes, based on my experiences over the past year, several key trends have stood out that I believe in-house counsel should be keeping a close eye on:

Increased regulatory complexity and enforcement activity, particularly in areas like data protection, ESG, and antitrust. Regulators across jurisdictions are becoming more active and coordinated, which means legal teams need to be more proactive in managing risk and ensuring compliance.

Post-merger integration and cross-border transaction challenges are becoming more prominent, especially with growing geopolitical uncertainties and local legal frameworks becoming more fragmented. For in-house teams involved in M&A, this makes early legal involvement and cross-functional collaboration more critical than ever.

Compliance and corporate culture continue to evolve, with a noticeable shift toward more holistic and value-driven compliance programmes. There’s a growing expectation that legal teams not only ensure formal compliance but also help foster an ethical culture and support long-term sustainability.

Digital transformation and IP strategy are also top of mind—particularly in tech-driven sectors. Protecting innovation, managing digital assets, and understanding legal implications of emerging technologies (like AI) are increasingly important areas where legal must add value.

In short, the role of in-house counsel is expanding — we’re expected to be legal experts, risk managers, strategic advisors, and cultural stewards all at once. Staying alert to these trends helps us stay ahead of the curve.