Nordics 2015 – GC Powerlist
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Nordics 2015

  • Industries

  • Powerlist

Ã…ke Theblin

Head of legal | Peab Projektutveckling AB

Ã…ke Theblin spent almost 13 years at Kungsleden, a listed property company, before moving to Peab Projektutveckling AB as head of legal in February 2014. An experienced and knowledgeable property...

Alice Grünfeld

Head of legal | Bankernes EDB Central (BEC)

Financials

Alice Grünfeld is head of legal at BEC, one of three independent IT services providers in the Danish financial sector. She joined BEC in 2007 and established the legal department...

Anders Bryde Rasmussen

Head of legal | Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SEB)

Financials

Anders Bryde Rasmussen, head of legal at SEB, is described as ‘a bright lawyer and an excellent and ambitious head of his team’. He has a wealth of legal experience...

Andreas Brandt

General counsel & group vice president | Grundfos Holding A/S

Having started his career at Bech-Bruun, the Danish firm, Andreas Brandt decided to move in-house in 2009, first to Dong Energy and thereafter to Grundfos where he is using his,...

Anette Mellbye

Chief legal counsel | Electromagnetic GeoServices ASA (EMGS)

Anette Mellbye has worked at Electromagnetic GeoServices since 2007, where she heads a small legal team of three people. ‘We are a small company of 350 employees working worldwide so...

Anna Bülow Zetterberg

General counsel | Novamedia Sverige AB

Anna Bülow Zetterberg joined Novamedia Sverige AB in September 2012 having worked as an associate at law firms, Cederquist and Lindahl. Whilst at Lindalh, Bülow Zetterberg got a taste of...

Anna Jonsson

Legal director | Skånemejerier and Lactalis Group

Anna Jonsson joined the Swedish dairy farmer, Skånemejerier, in 2010 as an external legal consultant. After closing a large business transaction, she was hired as general counsel in January 2011....

Anna Rogmark

General counsel and director legal and sustainability | Apoteket AB

Since joining Apoteket in 2005, Anna Rogmark has demonstrated her diverse skill-set during a period where the deregulation of the Swedish pharmaceutical sector led to a downsizing of the company’s...

Anne Diness

General counsel | DEIF A/S

With an impressive career spanning multiple sectors Anne Diness, attorney general counsel at DEIF, brings a multidimensional and global understanding for strategy and legal requirements. Diness began her career at...

Anne Worm-Petersen

"Senior vice president, corporate counsel & compliance officer " | Marsh A/S

As senior vice president, corporate counsel and compliance officer at the world’s leading insurance broker and risk advisor company, Marsh, Anne Worm-Peterson is praised for her ‘unique ability for making...

Annette Ikast

General counsel, law & administration | Energinet.dk

Energy and utilities

Annette Ikast is the general counsel for energinet.dk, a non-profit enterprise owned by the Danish Climate and Energy Ministry, where she heads a team of 24 including two heads of...

Anu Tuomola

General counsel, head of legal affairs and member of the corporate management committee | Citycon Oyj

Anu Tuomola joined Citycon, a leading Nordic and Baltic region shopping centre owner and manager, in 2011. Tuomola joined Citycon after gaining private practice experience for six years as a...

Åsa Ericson Hedström

Vice president legal and compliance | Sony Mobile Communications AB

A ‘trusted’ advisor to senior management, Åsa Ericson Hedström joined Sony in 2000 as legal counsel, after four years as a reporting official at the Swedish Competition Authority. At Sony...

Ã…sa Thunman

Executive vice president and general counsel | Sandvik AB Holding

Having practised for almost 20 years, Åsa Thunman is a lawyer experienced in a diverse range of sectors. She spent three years at Lagerlöf & Leman law firm (1996–1999), before...

Ã…se Lundh Gravenius

General counsel | ICE Services AB

Established in 2010, ICE has developed quickly into a world-class service centre for the global management of musical rights. The company offers a professional and efficient service, which enables music...

Astrid Skjønborg Brunt

General counsel | Statnett

Astrid Skjønborg Brunt has over 25 years’ experience in the electricity industry, 15 years of which have been in leading a law department at Statnett. Since starting at Statnett, she...

Bjørn Terje Smistad

Chief attorney | Statskog

Bjørn Terje Smistad has worked at Statskog, a state-owned enterprise responsible for the management of state-owned forest and mountain real estate, for the past 10 years. Terje Smistad is an...

Camilla Berg

General counsel and head of market surveillance | Nord Pool Spot A/S

Camilla Berg has been general counsel at Nord Pool Spot A/S since 2009, being responsible for all legal matters, regulatory compliance and overseeing the market surveillance department, which focuses on...

Camilla Nyhus-Møller

Senior vice president (legal and compliance) and general counsel | Höegh LNG AS

Camilla Nyhus-Møller has been at Höegh for almost 10 years. ‘When I started working in the Höegh Group in 2006, Höegh LNG was not established as a separate company. As...

Carl Östring

General counsel | AB Traction

Under Carl Östring’s leadership, the legal department has developed the support it provides to AB Traction, a publicly traded investment company, and its subsidiaries. Acting for the company’s subsidiary boards,...

Caroline Fellenius Omndell

Group general counsel | Tele2

Caroline Fellenius-Omndell is recognised for her ability to successfully build and develop legal teams globally and is now driving change in Tele2’s legal and regulatory department across nine jurisdictions. Fellenius-Omndell...

Charlotte Bigum Lynaes

Chief legal counsel | Danish Agriculture & Food Council

The third largest trade association in Denmark is the Danish Agriculture & Food Council, which has an estimated annual export of products amounting to DKK 151 billion. The approximately 350...

Christian Fleischer Christiansen

Head of legal Denmark, China & Hong Kong - Marine & Diesel Division | Alfa Laval Aalborg A/S

Christian Fleischer Christiansen started his career as an associate at one of Denmark’s leading law firms, moving in-house in 2010 by joining Aalborg Industries A/S as general counsel. In 2011...

Christian Wang Schumacher

Legal counsel | SAS Norge A/S

From being the sole in-house counsel to battling with potential bankruptcy, Christian Wang Schumacher has faced a range of challenges since he joined SAS Norge A/S in 2010. Scandinavian Airlines...

Christina Wagner

Head of legal & external affairs | British American Tobacco

‘What I enjoy most about my role at BAT is that because of the environment in which the company operates, and the way it is structured, it allows the lawyers...

Christine Bruhn Tuxen

Head of legal services Nordics- legal, risk & compliance | DT Group A/S

Regardless of her relatively new appointment, initially as legal, risk and compliance officer at DT Group, Christine Bruhn Tuxen has hit the ground running. She has made pivotal changes to...

Christine Strindberg

Head of Legal, Sweden | Modern Times Group MTG AB

Recognised for her expertise in strategy and delivering first class work, Christine Strindberg is a ‘deal closer’ and plays a key role in the outcome of important negotiations for Modern...

Danne Stattin

General counsel | NCC Construction Sverige AB

A legal counsel for over seven years at NCC Housing AB and then head of department for four years, Danne Stattin had already built significant experience in contract negotiation and...

Eki Korpiola

Head of legal and intellectual property rights | Suunto Oy

After six years of working for Roschier Attorneys, Eki Korpiola moved in-house. In June 2002, he joined Nokia Corporation, the global communications and IT giant based in Finland, spending six...

Eli Krogstad

Legal Counsel | Peab A/S

Eli Krogstad has been an in-house lawyer for almost nine years, prior to which she was an associate at DLA Piper. Her role at Peab, a leading construction and civil...

Emelie Helling

General counsel | Orc Group

Emelie Helling was appointed as general counsel of Orc, a global market leader in trading technology for listed derivatives, in 2012. By working closely with the entire business from sales,...

Flemming Pristed

Group general counsel | Danske Bank

Financials

Previously, Flemming Pristed played a central role at KMD A/S, an IT service provider for the municipalities and government of Denmark. A few of his many achievements during a decade...

Frode Brogren Lid

General counsel | JM Norge AS

JM Norge AS is experienced in supplying houses and apartments across the Nordics. JM Norge’s total turnover in the region is approximately SEK 13 billion and approximately 100,000 homes have...

HÃ¥kan Broman

General counsel | NCC AB

HÃ¥kan Broman was promoted to general counsel in January 2009 at NCC, a leading property development company in the Nordic Region with annual sales of SEK 57 billion. Heading a...

Hanna Ekdahl

General counsel | Onvest Group

The Onvest Group, together with its subsidiaries, cover technical trade, building services contracting, investment, and property businesses. Hanna Ekdahl joined the Group in 2012 having previously worked at the Finnish...

Harri Christensen

Director of legal affairs | Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Company

Insurance

Harri Christensen heads a team of six at Elo, a major employment pension insurance company in Finland. Working on a wide variety of legal issues, one of Christensen’s biggest achievements...

Helena Nelson

General counsel | Carnegie Investment Bank AB

Financials

Helena Nelson joined Carnegie Investment Bank in April 2013 and now heads a team of three lawyers and one paralegal. Before this, she was chief compliance officer and the head...

Helena Strömbeck

General legal counsel | One Nordic AB

After seven and a half successful years as senior associate at law firm, Advokatfirman Lindahl, Helena Strömbeck joined One Nordic AB in September 2010 as general legal counsel. One Nordic...

Henrik Fromme

General counsel | Bankgirot

Financials

Recognised as a ‘high performer’ within Bankgirot, Henrik Fromme is highly proficient in catering for the legal needs of the company which is the only clearing house for mass payments...

Henrik Hilseth Hartwig

Corporate legal counsel | Kommunal Landspensjonskasse

Kommunal Landspensjonskasse (KLP) is Norway’s largest life insurance company, with capital under management exceeding NOK 500 billion. Henrik Hilseth-Hartwig successfully worked on implementing, monitoring and advising on new international legislation...

Henrik Rasmussen

General counsel & head of corporate affairs | VKR Holding A/S

Established in 1941, VKR Holding, parent to an international group of companies, specialise in the development, manufacturing and sales of windows, natural ventilation and solar systems. They are located in...

Jacob Wahlberg

General counsel | ASSA ABLOY AB

Since being appointed as the first in-house counsel of the ASSA ABLOY Group, a market leading electromechanical security provider in 2004, Jacob Wahlberg now heads a team of eight lawyers...

Jan Sandtrø

Chief legal officer | Evry

Jan Sandtrø manages a 13-strong team located in Norway, Sweden, Ukraine and India, covering the legal matters of Evry, one of the largest IT companies in the Nordics. Sandtrø headed...

Jarle Roar Saebø

Country counsel (Norway and Denmark) | Hewlett-Packard Norge A/S

Jarle Roar Sæbø is the country counsel and sole in-house counsel for Hewlett-Packard in Norway and Denmark. ‘Overseeing all legal aspects of the business, both contractual and regulatory’ is a...

Jenny Keisu

Director and general counsel | Nordic Capital

Prior to joining Nordic Capital, a market leading private equity investor in the region, in April 2012 Jenny Keisu worked as a lawyer at Mannheimer Swartling in Stockholm, specialising in...

Jesper Rasmussen

Project director- Area & Rights | Odense Letbane P/S│Odense Tramway

The Odense Tramway is a construction company with the sole purpose of building the tramway in Odense, therefore the company did not initially invest in a legal department, until about...

Karen Rønde

Head of legal & public affairs | Modern Times Group (MTG)

The Modern Times Group (MTG) is an international entertainment company dealing in the production, sale and broadcasting of entertainment. Karen Rønde the head of legal and public affairs at MTG...

Kjersti Bergsåker-Aspøy

General counsel | Gdf Suez E&P Norge A/S

Kjersti Bergsåker-Aspøy has been general counsel at GDF Suez E&P Norge A/S for four years. In that time she has focused on increasing the formal visibility of the legal department...

Kristian Øhrstrøm

Jurist/ legal adviser & compliance officer | Konica Minolta Business Solutions Denmark A/S

Konica Minolta, specialising in the provision of managed print and document management solutions has over the last decade branched out into the IT sector, putting it face to face with...

Kristin Hedlund

General counsel (region Europe North and East) | Schenker AB

Fluent in four languages and recognised as a top performer, Kristin Hedlund was appointed general counsel by Schenker North AB in 2005, after six years as legal counsel. During her...

Lena Almefelt

General counsel | EQT Holdings

Lena Almefelt joined EQT, a private equity and venture capital firm, after 12 years as a partner at Vinge. Establishing the legal department at EQT, Almefelt also created a panel...

Lena Ernlund Malmberg

Head of intellectual property – legal | Nilfisk A/S

Nilfisk, dealing in innovative commercial cleaning products, has sales entities in 45 countries, dealers in over 70 countries and manufacturing facilities in seven countries, so the need for in-house counsel...

Louise Ernmark

Senior manager, head of legal and compliance (EMEA) | Sony Mobile Communications AB

With expertise in copyright law, contact negotiations and a strong collaborative work ethic, Louise Ernmark was promoted in June 2013 to head a nine-strong team that she was previously part...

Maija Vartiainen

Senior legal counsel | If P&C Insurance Company

Insurance

Maija Vartiainen joined IF P&C Insurance Company in August 2010 after gaining over 11 and half years of experience as attorney at law at Dittmar & Indredius. Drawing on her...

Marcus Palm

Director legal affairs | Välinge

‘Highly skilled and knowledgeable’, Marcus Palm heads a team of three and routinely overcomes the technological issues within Välinge, a world leading research, development and intellectual property company in the...

Mari Tyster

Senior vice president, administration and legal affairs | Municipality Finance

Mari Tyster has worked at Municipality Finance for the past six years, now heading a seven-strong team made up of legal counsel, paralegals and human resource assistants. Since the financial...

Maria Hemberg

Senior vice president and general counsel | Volvo Car Corporation

Maria Hemberg began her legal career in 1988 as a trainee associate at law firm, Mannheimer Swartling. After a brief period as a law clerk at the District Court of...

Martin Allan Christensen

Chief legal counsel & group legal, head of M&A section | A.P Møller - Mærsk A/S

‘Being able to play a key part in the execution of the Maersk Group’s M&A strategy has been, and still is, a fantastic journey’, voices Martin Allan Christensen, chief legal...

Martin Pagrotsky

General Counsel, head of compliance and company secretary | Nobina AB

Since joining Nobina AB as general counsel, Martin Pagrotsky has played a central role in moving the company away from a costly dependency on law firms. The changes Pagrotsky has...

Martina Klaus

Senior vice president and general counsel | Volvo Group Trucks Operations

Martina Klaus joined The Volvo Group, Sweden’s multinational manufacturer, in 2005 as part of the Volvo Aero division. In 2010 she moved to Shanghai for a 12 month Asian truck...

Matias Markkanen

Senior legal counsel, manager (legal affairs) | VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) is the largest multidisciplinary research organisation in Northern Europe, providing high-end technology solutions and innovation services. Known as ‘business-orientated’ and a ‘leader’, Matias...

Matthias Geiger

General counsel (Norway & Denmark) | Siemens

As general counsel for Norway, Matthias Geiger is responsible for eight legal professionals and one compliance professional in Norway. In addition to this role, he assumed the responsibilities of GC...

Meena Ambardar

General counsel (Investments) | Första AP-fonden, First Swedish National Pension Fund (AP1)

After a successful career as a corporate lawyer on Wall Street, at firms including Davis Polk and Goldman Sachs, Indian-American Meenakshi Ambardar (Meena) moved to Stockholm in 2004. Ambardar spent...

Mette Kondrup Jensen

Vice president, corporate people & organisation and people relations & compliance | Novo Nordisk A/S

Mette Kondrup Jensen is the vice president of Novo Nordisk, a company in the pharmaceutical sector, with 16 employees reporting into her. Her role extends to the legal department where...

Mette Rosholm

Director HR & legal | Danske Statsbaner (DSB)

Danske Statsbaner (DSB) is an independent public corporation which is run under the Danish Ministry of Transport that manages over 195 million passengers annually and employs an estimated 8,000 members...

Mikkel Viltoft

General counsel | Novozymes A/S

Novozymes, a company that is pioneering on industrial biotechnology, with a strong focus on enzyme production, has legal departments located across the globe. Mikkel Viltoft is the general counsel with...

Mikko Aulas

Senior legal counsel | Nordea Bank Finland

Financials

Described as ‘practical’ and a ‘problem solver’, Mikko Aulas has worked at Nordea Bank since October 2000. During his employment at Nordea, Aulas assumed the role of legal counsel on...

Mikko Laaksonen

General counsel | Oy Teboil Ab

Mikko Laaksonen spent over five years at Merilampi Attorneys before moving in-house as legal counsel in January 2011 to Oy Teboil Ab, the second largest oil company in Finland. Within...

Miriam Lewinschal

General counsel | Infranord AB

Miriam Lewinschal joined Infranord AB, the Swedish government enterprise and railway contractor in 2012 after seven successful years at Mannheimer Swartling. Moving to the public sector, Lewinschal has introduced new...

Morten Aaserud

Chief legal officer | Wilh. Wilhelmsen Holding ASA

During his time at the company Morten Aaserud has demonstrated true value to Wilh. Wilhelmsen Holding ASA, a global maritime industry group focusing on shipping and logistics for cars and...

Niclas Almgren

General counsel | TDC Sverige AB

At telecommunication provider, TDC Sverige AB, Niclas Almgren has ‘a special skill in applying legal matters into a business context and making legal issues more understandable for non-lawyers’. He has been...

Nikolaus Ukert

Vice president & general counsel | CONTI Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG

Conti Group, one of the world’s leading owners of container vessels, bulk carriers and tankers, has served the logistics industry for over 45 years, building long lasting relations with business...

Nils Arne Grønlie

General counsel | Pharmaq AS

Healthcare

Nils Arne Grønlie is the first and only in-house counsel to be employed at Pharmaq AS, the world’s leading pharmaceutical company specialising in aquaculture. Previously, all legal work was outsourced,...

Nina Kiviranta

General counsel | Outotec

Nina Kiviranta moved in-house in 1996 after four years of working in law firms. For her first corporate role, Kiviranta joined Metsä Board (previously M-real Corporation), a leading European folding...

Nina MacPherson

Senior vice president, chief legal officer, head of group function legal affairs and secretary to the board of directors | Ericsson

Described as ‘highly competent’ with ‘excellent leadership skills’ Nina Macpherson has led Ericsson’s global legal affairs division as chief legal officer since January 2011. Macpherson joined Ericsson in 1996 as...

Ole Jørgensen

Senior vice president and corporate & institutions - legal | Danske Bank A/S

Financials

Ole Jørgensen, as senior vice president and lawyer, was tasked with establishing a legal department that is better suited to Danske Bank’s cross-border nature. Jørgensen collated the legal activities of...

Olle Wallén

General counsel | Husqvarna AB

With over 30 years of experience, Olle Wallén is a seasoned general counsel with an impressive range of expertise in all major areas of business law including company law, M&A,...

Oskar Arndt

General counsel | iZettle

Oskar Arndt is a ‘creative’ lawyer that ‘maintains a high level of integrity and quality’ in his work for iZettle, an emerging payment services provider. After five years at Bird...

Otto Roheim

General counsel | NSB A/S

Otto Roheim is in charge of the legal operations of the NSB A/S, a group dedicated to managing passenger traffic on trains and buses and freight traffic on railways in...

Patrick Plucnar

Group general counsel | Royal Unibrew A/S

With 15 years of experience under his belt, ranging from working at a leading Danish law firm to an excellent track record as a trusted legal advisor dealing with consumer...

Pedro Leite

Vice president director (tax and legal) | Marine Harvest ASA

Pedro Leite heads a team of 20 people at Marine Harvest ASA, a Norwegian seafood company. He was the first lawyer to be recruited in-house, where his role primarily involved...

Per Brandt

Chief legal officer and general counsel | SPP Group

Since moving from law firm Vinge in 2010, Per Brandt has accommodated the business element of being a general counsel into his skillset and enjoys being a part of the...

Peter Istrup

Head of legal - consumer international, global legal services | Arla Foods amba

Heading a small legal division within the legal department of Arla Foods, namely global legal services – Consumer International (CIN), Peter Istrup is in charge of all dealings at a...

Peter- Schøtt Knudsen

Vice president, general counsel and global head of legal & intellectual property rights | ECCO Holding A/S

Peter Schøtt Knudsen has been working in-house for over 14 years, and is currently the vice president, general counsel and global head of legal and IPR for ECCO Holding in...

Rasmus Kirkeby Salling

Finance & control legal affairs and senior intellectual property counsel | Schneider Electric

‘Rasmus Kirkeby Salling is one-of-a-kind. Extremely legally gifted, while at the same time displaying a unique ability to apply the law in a highly business-oriented context’, describes a member of...

Riikka Tieaho

Vice President, Corporate Legal, Secretary to Board of Directors & Nokia Group Leadership Team | Nokia Corporation

Riikka Tieaho joined Nokia, the multinational communications and information technology company, in 1999. She held a number of legal counsel and legal director positions in the company, including a role...

Robert HÃ¥rd

Chief legal counsel | Mekonomen Group

Robert HÃ¥rd moved in-house after spending two years at Helsingborg District Court as a court clerk and then eight years at Vinge as an attorney at law. He joined MECA,...

Rolf Busch

General counsel | Statkraft

In the 10 years Rolf Busch has been general counsel, he has seen the legal department grow from a small Norway-based team to a well-established international department in Statkraft’s offices...

Rolf Tjugum

Deputy legal director | GIEK

Rolf Tjugum has worked at GIEK for his entire career. Since he started seven years ago, he has been promoted to deputy director and now deputy legal director. Although he...

Ronny Persson

General counsel | Resurs Bank AB

Financials

General counsel, Ronny Persson heads a team of 15 at Resurs Bank. The company consists of Resurs Bank, a market leader in Swedish retail financing, and Solid Försäkringar, a company...

Rune Olav Pedersen

Senior vice president (communications and marketing) and general counsel | Petroleum Geo-Services

Rune Olav Pedersen leads a 50-strong team, covering a wide range of legal work. When he first joined Petroleum Geo-Services, the legal department was fairly small, with lawyers in various...

Sami Pauni

Senior vice president (corporate affairs and legal) and group general counsel | Huhtamäki Oyj

With a ‘holistic approach’ and ‘extensive experience in regulatory matters relative to listed companies’, Sami Pauni sits not only as group general counsel but also senior vice president, corporate affairs...

Sarah Tähkälä

Vice president - legal and group sourcing | Paulig Group

Sarah Tähkälä previously worked as a partner at top Nordic law firm Hannes Snellman, where she was head of employment and also specialised in mergers and acquisitions. In January 2010,...

Sari Koivulehto Mäkitalo

Vice president (legal affairs) | Raisio Group

The Raisio Group is an international company with expertise in plant-based nutrition, which produces cereal products and animal feeds. Sari Koivulehto-Mäkitalo joined Raisio in 2006, and has since been transforming...

Signe Hastrup Holst

Lawyer | Metroselskabet og Hovedstadens Letbane

Joining Metroselskabet, operator and constructor of the Copenhagen metro, only a year ago as the first associate, Signe Hastrup Holst has the mammoth responsibility of creating and aligning a legal...

Signe Toft

General counsel | SYBO Games

Signe Toft recently joined SYBO Games in June 2015 as their general counsel. Sybo is a company which produces mobile games and is still at a young stage of development...

Snorre Valdimarsson

Executive vice president and general counsel | Scatec Solar

Snorre Valdimarsson created the legal department at Scatec Solar from scratch, however he was the only in-house lawyer for the first few years. Since then ‘the idea has been to...

Sophie Lewis

Legal director | Carlsberg Group

Sophie Lewis started her legal career as an associate at Baker & McKenzie, after which she was appointed as legal counsel at Carlsberg in 2012 and was promoted to legal...

Stefan Backman

Head of legal and regulatory | Tele2

In an extremely fast moving market, Stefan Backman thrives on the challenges associated with providing legal services to one of Europe´s fastest growing Telecom operators, Tele2. He says ‘as an...

Steinar Nyrud

General counsel | Höegh Autoliners AS

Steinar Nyrud has built up the legal department of Höegh from one lawyer in 2005 to a team of six today. ‘The business has expanded and we have had to...

Susanne Berens Olsson

General counsel | Göteborg Energi AB

Energy and utilities

By setting up the legal department, Susanne Berens Olsson has moved Göteborg Energi AB away from handling legal matters through a decentralised method of using external law firms, at high...

Suvi Sasi-Gouatarbes

Head of legal (infrastructure projects and paving) | Lemminkäinen Infra

An experienced lawyer, Suvi Sasi-Gouatarbès worked in a number of legal roles prior to joining Lemminkäinen, a Finnish construction and infrastructure company with approximately 1,500 employees. These experiences range from...

Svend Ulrik Riis

General counsel | Handelsbanken

Financials

Shifting the legal department from ‘reactive to pro-active in the years following a financial crisis in the banking industry in Denmark, has been a great challenge’, explains Svend Ulrik Riis,...

Synne Homble

Chief officer legal and corporate functions | Cermaq Group AS

Synne Homble joined Cermaq in 2006 as the company’s first in-house lawyer. Prior to her hiring, all legal affairs were handled through external law firms, even though legal work had...

Teemu Sipilä

General counsel | VR Group Oy

Teemu Sipilä was appointed as general counsel in 2010 for VR Group Oy, an environmentally conscious travel and logistics operator wholly owned by the Finnish state. Since joining the Group,...

Thomas Ankersen

Chief consultant | Danske Erhvervsskoler

Danske Erhvervsskoler is a member organisation offering political, economic, administrative and legal advice to the daily management and the board of directors of varying Danish vocational and technical schools. As...

Thomas Heinonen

General counsel | Altia

During his time at Altia, a leading Nordic wine and spirits company, Thomas Heinonen has overseen the successful transformation of the legal function, adapting to the modern requirements of an...

Thony Lindström

General counsel | Floatel International Ltd

Before moving in-house in 2012, Lindström accumulated almost five years of experience as an associate at law firms Setterwalls and Mannheimer Swartling. Thereby developing his skills in corporate law, international...

Tiina Lencioni

General counsel | Marimekko

Marimekko Corporation is a Finnish textile company that produces clothing, bags, accessories and home décor based on their own unique prints. Tiina Lencioni is general counsel with two legal team...

Tim Williams

Area counsel (Middle East & Asia) | Wärtsilä Corporation

Wärtsilä is a global manufacturer and service provider of power sources in the marine and energy markets. Tim Williams was promoted to area counsel for the Middle East and Asia...

Tine Skytte Holm

Legal & business affairs manager | Sony Music Entertainment Denmark A/S

Working for over seven years as legal and business affairs manager for Sony Music Entertainment Denmark, makes Tine Skytte Holm the longest serving senior officer for the Group���s Danish entity....

Titti Kopp

Chief legal officer regulatory approvals and environment | Femern A/S

Femern are planning one of the world’s largest infrastructure projects and the largest in Northern Europe, a fixed link across the Fehmarn Belt from Denmark to Germany. Having previously worked...

Tore Økseter

CEO and lawyer | Neptune Properties

Neptune Properties was established as a real estate company with a main focus on the development and sales of flats and houses in 2007, with annual sales of approximately NOK...

Tuomas Toivonen

Senior legal counsel | Nordea Bank Finland

Financials

Tuomas Toivonen joined Nordea Bank Finland in 2008 after working as an attorney at Finnish law firm Borenius & Kemppinen. He has wide experience and is able to drive processes...

Tuula Rainto

General Counsel | Vaasan Group

Tuula Rainto has extensive knowledge and experience with an in-house career that spans over 20 years. After working for companies in a variety of sectors, as well as a six...

Ulrika Jensen

General counsel and head of the legal department | TV4 Group

During her years as general counsel at TV4 Group, Ulrika Jensen has overseen the legal department’s journey from being a marginal element in the company to becoming a highly valued...

Wendi Ring

Senior legal counsel | Danske Commodities A/S

Danske Commodities specialises in trading power, gas and certificates while delivering services to the energy market. When Wendi Ring, now senior legal counsel at Danske Commodities, first joined the company...

Yngve Rygh Larsen

Assistant general counsel | FMC Technologies

Yngve Rygh Larsen joined FMC Technologies in 1998 as a legal manager. Since then he has worked through various positions to reach assistant general counsel for Subsea Technologies. He has...

Yvonne Ivarsson

Head of legal (Nordic & Baltic) | Schneider Electric

Before joining leading energy company Schneider Electric, Yvonne Ivarsson held a number of position at various institutions, including the Faculty of Law at Lund University, where she was a lecturer...

For 28 years, The Legal 500 has been analysing the capabilities of law firms across the world. The GC Powerlist is the latest publication from The Legal 500, turning its attention to the in-house function, and recognising those corporate counsel who are driving the legal business forward. The latest edition is the GC Powerlist: Nordics, which identifies an array of the most influential and innovative in-house teams working in the Nordics region….read more

We have canvassed opinions from law firm partners and in-house counsel across the Nordics region, to identify corporate counsel that have been instrumental in changing or forming opinions within their company or industry; developing brilliant technical solutions to complex issues; creating innovative structures to ensure that the in-house function is driving the business forward; or providing a business working model that other corporate counsel should follow. Our team of experienced researchers assessed the nominations, speaking both to general counsel and nominating lawyers to finalise each jurisdictional list. GC Powerlist: Nordics features not just information on why that individual has made the list, but also comment from the law firms about how they feel individual corporate counsel have helped shape innovation in the legal industry.

If you have feedback on the GC Powerlist: Nordics, or wish to nominate other in-house individuals (either in the Nordics region or global), please do get in touch at [email protected].

We hope that this listing will stimulate debate around the role of the in-house lawyer and help corporate counsel with possible improvements and efficiencies in running their departments.

Bech-Bruun

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We are pleased to congratulate the General Counsels who have been admitted to The Legal 500’s GC Powerlist: Nordics. General Counsels are to an increasing extent faced with new and additional demands. It is a role requiring constant development and adaptability.

At Bech-Bruun, we are happy to help facilitate the framework for the very first GC Powerlist: Nordics and we wish to congratulate both the nominated general counsels and of course in particular the counsels who made it on the list.

It requires a varied and diverse set of skills to act as General Counsel. First and foremost you must have a broad legal skill base and the ability to clearly communicate legal insight in order for the company’s management and business units to be able to understand and utilise it. But the role as General Counsel is changing. This became very clear in an analysis conducted by Bech-Bruun in the fall of 2015.

The provision of legal advice is still the primary function of the general counsel, but the role also demands insight into a number of new areas. General Counsels are to an increasing degree involved in the companies’ strategic discussions and in new business initiatives where they function as the legal sparring partner to the management and help identify potential problems.

At Bech-Bruun, we have strong and good working relationships with many of the best General Counsels in Denmark. Working relationships which we value highly and find very important as General Counsels have contributed to professionalising companies’ approach to both law and compliance. This has resulted in a more proactive approach to the handling of legal issues, meaning that potential challenges to a higher degree are handled earlier and before becoming actual problems. There is no doubt that General Counsels are a crucial asset to companies.

However, we also know that many General Counsels want to become better at showing how they create value for the company or the organisation. And that many counsels enquire supplementary skills in line with the changes occurring to the role of General Counsel. Consequently, we have developed a training programme tailored for General Counsels, which has been created on the basis of our analysis of the specific demands of the future. This programme has been developed in order to help General Counsels prepare for the new challenges and to lay the foundation for success for the counsels, their employees and the company as a whole.

We are looking forward to continuing our good working relationships with the many General Counsels we work with on a daily basis and of course also to meet the ones we have not had the pleasure of working with.

And once again; a big congratulations for everyone on this year’s GC Powerlist: Nordics.

Castrén & Snellman

Castrén & Snellman logo

When the The Legal 500 called and asked whether we would like to be involved in the publication of Finland’s first GC Powerlist, it wasn’t hard to answer yes. Throughout my long career, I have served as the right hand to many general counsel, and I have a great respect for the work they do. It feels wonderful that now, through GC Powerlist, we will be able to shed light on the great contribution general counsel make to the success of the companies they serve.

The world is changing rapidly. The companies that were on top at the start of my career looked very different to the ones on top today. New companies are being started every day, and they are growing and going global at an increasingly rapid pace. The tough challenges—and hot opportunities—in companies today include compliance, governance, privacy and data security.

It has been a long time since general counsel could be satisfied with just looking after their own back yard. Being a general counsel today calls for an wide understanding of the business of one’s own company as well as of the megatrends that will unavoidably alter the landscape companies operate in—whether they like it or not. Curiosity and enthusiasm for new things are more important traits for lawyers than ever, regardless of whether you are an attorney or an in-house counsel.

My experience is that the best ideas are created by innovating together, by joining forces to create a vision. Co-innovation has brought an entirely new twist to my own work. It is a great feeling to see the spark of enthusiasm in you client’s eye and to have helped feed their curiosity towards the future.

The opportunities of digitalisation—a megatrend that is affecting businesses across the board—is an area for development that is shared by both law firms and in-house teams. According to Radiant Law’s recent study, more than three-quarters (78%) of general counsel lack separate budgets for process and technology services, despite exactly the same percentage identifying a ‘compelling need’ for them. Nonetheless, two-thirds of GCs had invested in process or technology with an external supplier in the last two years.

The same trend can be seen in law firms. We are digitising our operations and have turned a keen ear to the thoughts general counsel have about how we can find entirely new ways of doing things in the future.

Finally, let me congratulate all of you who made it onto the GC Powerlist. You are rock-solid trailblazers in your field!

Selmer

Selmer logo

There is an emerging shift towards international trends concerning the role of the General Counsel and law firms. The new General Counsel is expected to combine legal aspects with commercial viable solutions. In turn, the demand and necessity for innovation, commercial thinking and knowledge sharing between the law firms and General Counsels is growing. In addition, procurement of legal services is becoming increasingly more diverse and complex. We anticipate these challenges will accelerate in the coming years, putting pressure on law firms to apply fresh thinking to old habits.

Daily, Selmer’s lawyers engage with extremely capable and knowledgeable General Counsels and corporate legal departments. We experience, first-hand, the great number of Norwegian General Counsels who possess an exceptionally high level of expertise on an international scale. It is in this matter a great pleasure to now have the opportunity to acknowledge their achievements and expertise, in partnership with the renowned brand Legal 500.

Throughout Selmer’s short history we have striven to work in innovative ways, constantly among the first to adopt new ideas. We are committed to finding solutions to new market trends in order to meet the requirements and needs of our current and future clients, many of which we hope to celebrate at the GC Powerlist event.

We are truly proud to be selected as The Legal 500’s GC Powerlist partner in Norway and look forward to welcoming you to the event.

GC Powerlist Hong Kong 2024

The Legal 500 was delighted to be back in Hong Kong on 25 September to celebrate the launch of the GC Powerlist 2024. Allan Cohen and Ben Lovell were joined by the most influential in-house legal lawyers in the country for a splendid reception at the American Club.

Joelle Lau, Partner in Charge at Jones Day, opened the ceremony with heartfelt remarks and congratulated the teams recognised in the GC Powerlist.

The event proceeded with a keynote speech by Richard Blair, Senior Managing Partner at Blackstone, who shared his views on the strategic position of general counsel within their organisations.

Following this, Stephen Brogan, former Managing Partner at Jones Day, who had come from Washington D.C., took the guests on a walk down memory lane on his career and the trends he has identified in the legal industry for the year to come.

Stephen then handed over the reins to Joanne Tse, Team Lead for advisory and corporate at SS&C Intralinks. Joanne discussed how technology can help lawyers improve efficiency in their legal departments and security in their companies.

Many thanks to all the speakers, and a special thank you to Jones Day and SS&C Intralinks for partnering with us to celebrate the most impressive in-house legal talents in Hong Kong.