Team size: 4

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

I orchestrated the USD 290m acquisition of Jack Wolfskin by ANTA SPORTS at target level (link), overseeing cross-border due diligence, structuring, integration across EMEA and Asia, and post-acquisition transition.

I directed global expansion, including entity setups (e.g., Jack Wolfskin Vietnam Ltd., Sep 2025) and HQ relocation from Idstein to Eschborn, Germany.

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

My approach follows a risk-based, pragmatic mindset: prioritise issues by impact, act solution-oriented while mitigating risk, give proactive advice, and step in for urgent “firefighting” when needed — always aiming to position legal as a key enabler of sustainable business success.

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 apply a structured, ROI-driven method to select external providers and digital tools. Full data protection compliance is a baseline; I equally emphasise robust information security, controlled data handling, and measurable business value.

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

Leading a legal department through ownership changes between culturally diverse groups required strong intercultural competence, adaptability, and alignment of work styles and expectations. It was rewarding to see legal evolve from a compliance gatekeeper to a strategic business partner embedded in operations.

Given the current geopolitical shifts and growing uncertainties around international free trade, has your company’s risk profile evolved, and are you taking measures to address these challenges?

While our company has remained largely resilient, today’s uncertain environment demands consistent risk diversification and a clear playbook outlining responsibilities and actions in response to potential geopolitical shocks.

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 that you think other in-house lawyers should be mindful of?

Two main trends define the past year: the growing empowerment of legal departments, with CLOs taking ownership beyond advisory roles, and tighter budgets pushing in-house legal teams to optimise resources while maintaining excellence.

How can general counsel foster a corporate culture that supports ESG principles and compliance across all levels of the organisation?

General counsel can embed ESG by demonstrating its business value rather than treating it as compliance only. For premium brands like Jack Wolfskin, ESG performance is a baseline expectation; GCs shape corporate mindset by integrating these principles into core decision-making.

AI has been taken seriously as a potentially revolutionary technological change in the legal world for a number of years now. Has it had a meaningful impact on how your legal team works in this time?

AI significantly enhances our legal workflow: we use it for document summaries, research, playbook checks, and drafting initial responses. Core legal judgment remains human-driven, but we continuously pilot new applications and refine how to scale them responsibly.

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

I’m driven by continuous improvement, constantly seeking better solutions in business and personal contexts. I take responsibility for change and believe each generation should leave the world slightly better than before.

What factors influence your team’s decision to use external legal services versus handling matters in-house, and what criteria are used to evaluate their performance?

Key factors for deciding between external and in-house legal work include internal capacity, expertise, scalability, and time sensitivity. When engaging external advisors, I value pragmatic, action-oriented advice grounded in top-tier legal knowledge.

How does your team contribute to the overall business strategy of the company? Can you share an example of a recent legal-led initiative that had a significant impact?

Properly integrated, legal is a strategic business pillar. We act as growth enablers while safeguarding risk, as shown by the rapid setup of a new Asian unit made operational in record time through targeted legal support.

Looking forward, what trends do you foresee in the legal landscape over the next 5–10 years that companies should prepare for?

Upcoming trends include broader AI integration and automation potential, rising demands on lean legal teams under budget pressure, intensified competition for legal talent, and growing geopolitical instability. Companies should strengthen agile in-house teams and foster close collaboration with external law firms and LSPs to meet these challenges effectively.