Career biography

Ueli Hengartner is a Swiss-qualified lawyer with more than fifteen years of post-qualification experience, combining ten years in-house at Lindt & Sprüngli with five years in private practice at a leading Swiss law firm. In his current role as general counsel corporate/ESG and deputy group general counsel at Lindt & Sprüngli, he holds comprehensive legal responsibility for all corporate matters within the group.

This includes overseeing share buy-back programs, bond issuances, mergers and acquisitions, the establishment of subsidiaries and branches, and the negotiation of complex international agreements.

Hengartner is also responsible for the group’s corporate governance, which encompasses the preparation of the governance report and all matters related to the Swiss stock exchange, such as ad hoc disclosures.

Hengartner also prepares the group’s annual general meeting as well as board and committee meetings.

In addition to his corporate legal duties, Hengartner leads the group’s legal ESG department, supporting compliance with a range of regulatory frameworks including the CSRD, the German Supply Chain Act, the Swiss Responsible Business Initiative, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, and the EU Deforestation Regulation.

Throughout his tenure at Lindt & Sprüngli, Hengartner has led major M&A transactions for the group. Notable achievements include the acquisition of the retail operations of S.T. SpA, the purchase of shares in Lindt & Sprüngli (Brazil) Comércio de Alimentos, from a joint venture partner, and the merger of Lindt & Sprüngli with Caffarel. He has also driven several strategic projects that have significantly impacted the business and the legal department. Among these, he established the group’s compliance department. Ueli was also instrumental in preparing and implementing the legal department overall strategy, developing guidelines for external counsel and introducing improvements in legal risk reporting, cost monitoring, contract management, and e-signature systems.

Hengartner is well connected within the Swiss in-house counsel community. serves on the board of the Swiss Association of In-house Counsels and is a regular speaker at industry events.

His educational background includes an LL.M. from Columbia University School of Law as a Fulbright Scholar, a Master of Law from the University of St. Gallen, and bar admission to all Swiss courts. He has completed executive education at INSEAD and IMD Lausanne and holds a CAS in Compliance in Action from ZHAW Zurich.