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

FUNKE’s growth story rests on two defining pillars: the continued strengthening and digital transformation of our established brands, and the deliberate expansion of our portfolio through strategic acquisitions. Our position in the market is unmistakable — we are not on the sidelines; we are an active buyer, shaping our own trajectory. In 2025 alone, we successfully closed nine transactions, a clear signal of both momentum and intent.

Some deals stood out in particular. The acquisitions of Gala, Brigitte, Eltern.de and Chefkoch from RTL, along with wetter.com from ProSiebenSat.1, were complex transactions executed within an exceptionally short timeframe. At the same time, more specialized additions such as praktischArzt and Hundeurlaub.de further sharpen and diversify our portfolio in high-potential niches. Every acquisition comes with its own challenges — but also with energy, collaboration, and a shared sense of achievement across our teams.

As FUNKE continues to pursue its strategy of inorganic growth, my role is to bring structure and direction to that momentum. In my dual capacity as Head of Legal and lead of the Business M&A Division, I am responsible for steering our deal activity with strategic, procedural clarity and operational precision. My goal is to advance FUNKE’s ambitious growth plans with speed, continuity, and a clear focus on long-term value.

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 in how your legal team works in this time?

I see firsthand how artificial intelligence (AI) is already supporting our work today. While I remain convinced that a lawyer cannot be fully replaced by AI, it is clear that these technologies can make our work significantly easier and more efficient.

At this stage, we have deliberately chosen not to implement a single, all-encompassing system. In my view, the so-called “AI miracle weapon” for the legal field does not yet exist. The market for AI applications for lawyers is booming, but identifying tools that are both truly effective and reliable is far from simple.

That’s why we decided to develop solutions internally. At FUNKE, we have built our own AI unit, creating small but meaningful use cases tailored to our needs. I see this as the most sensible approach right now: rather than waiting for a perfectly functioning system to appear, we are leveraging multiple, smaller support tools that already add value.

We have already launched some practical solutions. For example, a system that automatically flags changes in the commercial register for our companies, a tool that conducts preliminary automated research for new trademark registrations, and an NDA generator that departments can use independently. And this is just the beginning — several other initiatives are in the works.

What has proven most powerful, however, is our FUNKE AI — a tool that integrates the major existing models while allowing us to process confidential data safely and efficiently.

Of course, this is only the start. I am genuinely excited to see where this journey takes us and how AI will continue to enhance the way we work.