Team size: 10 at headquarter level + >200 lawyers within business units

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

I led the team on the RTL Group side for the closing of the sale of RTL Netherlands to DPG, after a one and a half year-long merger control clearance process, with a base purchase price of €1.1bn.

The launch of RTL Group’s share buyback offer and program was another key project. I was also involved in steering legal aspects of AI implementation and cooperation in an international media business.

Can you describe an instance where your legal advice directly influenced business strategy or commercial objectives?

For an international media company such as RTL Group, AI represents a major strategic opportunity. Balancing the need to innovate quickly with the legal and commercial uncertainties surrounding emerging AI technologies is challenging. The legal department played a key role in shaping the group’s approach, providing the framework and guidance that enabled businesses to pursue AI opportunities confidently while managing risk and protecting long-term value.

As geopolitical instability continues, alongside economic and technological change, how do you guide your organisation through periods of uncertainty?

The ability to navigate uncertainty is a core skill for any legal department, particularly within an international media group operating in a rapidly evolving business, regulatory and technological environment. This has become even more important over the past years. Rather than trying to eliminate uncertainty, I believe in embracing it: staying alert to emerging developments, continuously challenging assumptions and looking at issues from multiple perspectives.

In practice, this means helping the business avoid solutions that are designed only for the most obvious (then probable) scenario and instead building sufficient flexibility to adapt when circumstances change. By anticipating different outcomes and keeping an open mind, the legal team can help the organisation remain agile and resilient during periods of uncertainty.

Beyond your legal role, is there a cause or initiative you are especially passionate about?

Beyond my legal role, I am particularly passionate about education, mentoring and helping people realise their full potential. I strongly believe in encouraging people to reach for the sky, chase their dreams and keep developing themselves and, from time to time, to have the courage to explore new paths and opportunities.

When I look back on my own path that brought me to my current position, I am grateful for the individuals who, sometimes through nothing more than a simple comment, a word of encouragement or an extra effort on their part, nudged me to look beyond the easy way forward and consider broader opportunities. If I can play a similar role for someone else and help them take a step they might not otherwise have taken, I consider that a meaningful contribution and a source of great personal satisfaction.