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

It is no secret, although not widely known, that we manage and structure the assets of a wealthy entrepreneurial family. The family’s operational business, the production and distribution of the well-known Jägermeister liqueur, is run by our sister company Mast-Jägermeister SE.

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

Stability is our main job and one of our key skills, in general, as a company. We invest in a number of different asset classes and monitor market changes in all of them, sometimes with support of advisors, and regularly review our investments and strategic asset allocation. However, as a company, we are less exposed to crises due to our investment diversification, even though we have occasionally had to write down asset positions in the real estate asset class.

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?

Due to our mandate to manage the family’s wealth/assets, we have particularly intensive data protection interests and enforce these vis-à-vis our partners. In times of increasingly excessive KYC processes, often based on soft law or internal policies and varieties across different managers, this is often an uphill battle.

Apart from that, we are constantly increasing our digitalisation, there is no other way to manage the flood of data, both now and in the future.

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

Nothing more extraordinary than what others in similar roles may experience, I suppose. One memorable challenge was when, on my very first day as head of legal at a medium-sized pharmaceutical company, I was told that the company would to be sold. I organised the sales process in-house while continuing with my day-to-day business. After the shares were successfully sold, I left the company to join my current employer.

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?

I probably don’t need to give my colleagues any advice, but I’m sure everyone is excited about the opportunities that AI brings. We will see immense change in how legal departments operate, with major productivity gains that will allow us to act even more flexibly and proactively as business partners.

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

There are many ways to exert influence, a good example is, finally, the introduction of the Code of Conduct, in which we have laid down what are now considered standard practices in terms of ESG and compliance. In addition, one has to radiate integrity as a person and occasionally gently encourage others not to laugh in the wrong places…

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?

As I mentioned earlier, productivity increases as confidence in the capabilities of AI grows. The more we learn about its potential and limitations as well, the more effectively we can use it. At our firm, AI already creates opportunities to expand legal services and strengthen our role as business partners.

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

I am inspired by the diversity of my work and the many enthusiastic, interesting people I get to meet across different contexts. I love collaborative work across professions. I benefit greatly from my experience and routine, but constantly learning or discovering something new (in legal or other professions) is very satisfying. I love this wealth of variety in my job; it constantly adds new facets to my professional identity.

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?

We regularly deal with quite large sums of money and although we are very experienced and decisive, so we often consult a second opinion on large tickets or in structural topics. We always seek advice on specialised topics and greatly value external expertise. We evaluate our partners based on specific expertise, speed, and responsiveness and are focused on persons and teams. As a rule, we mostly rely on our tried-and-tested network because it saves us from having to explain our structures at length. Cost sensitivity is not the main deciding factor, though we do avoid overpaying.

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?

Legal is an integral part of our processes. We contribute through quick, practical advice and a hands-on approach wherever possible. As a company, we all aim to be a straightforward partner who delivers clear solutions.