Event information
The Legal 500 is delighted to formally announce the third edition of GC Summit Austria, taking place on 13th March 2025 in Vienna.
Join leading practitioners and esteemed in-house counsel for comprehensive panel discussions, presentations, and networking opportunities.
Legal 500’s GC Summit Austria will provide practical insights into the evolving role of in-house counsel and the challenges that in-house legal departments are set to face in 2025 and beyond.
In collaboration with our partners, this event will address a range of critical topics, offering practical, hands-on advice tailored for in-house counsel. Key sessions will provide valuable insights into creating an ESG roadmap, with a focus on reporting and disclosure obligations, as well as strategies for navigating cross-border disputes and M&A. Attendees will also explore the transformative impact of AI, the growing importance of cybersecurity, and the role of litigation funding in unlocking new opportunities for legal departments.
This summit is designed to deliver actionable insights and foster meaningful discussions. It is a must-attend event for in-house lawyers in Austria seeking to exchange best practices, stay ahead of industry developments, and expand their professional networks.
Agenda
1.00pm – 1.30pm Registration
1.30pm – 1.35pm Opening remarks
- Isabel Caine, event content editor, Legal 500
1.35pm – 2.05pm Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D): opportunities and challenges of the new supply chain requirements
In this session, Armin Schwabl will explore the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D) and its implications for in-house lawyers. The directive introduces new obligations for companies to assess and mitigate human rights and environmental risks in their supply chains. Attendees will gain insights into compliance strategies, risk management, and potential legal challenges. The presentation will also highlight opportunities for businesses to enhance sustainability efforts and corporate reputation.
- Armin Schwabl, partner, CERHA HEMPEL
2.05pm – 2.55pm From Offer to Close: The Role of Price Mechanisms in M&A
Featuring two subject matter experts from Baker McKenzie and three senior corporate counsel, the discussion will cover key considerations such as purchase price adjustments, earn-outs, and locked-box structures. The panelists will share insights on negotiating these mechanisms to balance risk, maximise value, and ensure smooth deal execution. With a focus on practical challenges and legal complexities, this session will provide in-house counsel with actionable strategies to navigate pricing structures and successfully close deals in today’s dynamic M&A landscape.
- Edmund Schuster, counsel, Baker McKenzie
- Claudia Fochtmann-Tischler, partner, Baker McKenzie
- Ernest Jędrzejewski, regional head of legal and compliance East Europe, DS Smith
- Nicole Christ, head of legal, RHI Magnesita
- Giovanna Bevilacqua, legal and compliance counsel, Doka
2.55pm – 3.45pm In-house perspectives on the use of litigation funding
As litigation funding continues to reshape the legal landscape, in-house counsel are uniquely positioned to evaluate its strategic and practical applications. This panel brings together seasoned in-house legal professionals and top-notch lawyers to discuss their experiences with litigation funding, from assessing its value as a financial tool to navigating its risks and complexities. Topics will include key considerations for engaging funders, aligning litigation funding with corporate goals, and how funding influences decision-making in dispute resolution. Gain insights into the evolving role of litigation funding from those making critical decisions at the intersection of law and business.
- Stephan Klebes, senior legal counsel, Deminor
- Ulrich Kopetzki, acting director for Europe, ICC
- Bernard Reviczky, general counsel South-Eastern Europe region, Siemens Energy
- Anna Katharina Radschek, senior legal counsel, Lincoln Electric
- Anne-Karin Grill, founder and principal, AKG ADVISORY
3.45pm – 4.00pm Coffee break
4.00pm – 4.50pm Cybersecurity – Navigating Threats, Liabilities and (Future) Risks
In this panel, experts will discuss emerging cyber threats, regulatory developments, and best practices for mitigating risks. The conversation will cover legal liabilities arising from data breaches, incident response strategies, and the role of legal counsel in strengthening cyber resilience. Panelists will also examine the future of cybersecurity, including AI-driven threats and regulatory trends. Attendees will gain insights into safeguarding corporate data, managing compliance challenges, and effectively advising leadership on cyber risk management in an increasingly complex digital environment.
- Andreas Schütz, partner, Taylor Wessing
- Philipp Zumbo, partner, Taylor Wessing
- Carina Kloibhofer, head of AT data privacy security management, Erste Group Bank AG
- Georg Jeitler, head of advisory, Grant Thornton Austria
- Peter Lohberger, head of legal department, Wiener Wohnen Hausbetreuung
4.50pm – 5.20pm Pricing transactions – mechanisms to bridge valuation gaps
Valuation gaps are a common hurdle in transactions and this panel will explore the reasons behind these discrepancies. The panel will examine how due diligence findings can impact valuations and look at the key stages in a transaction where valuation gaps may become an issue. Panellists will share mechanisms to bridge these gaps and practical strategies to save transactions. The panel will highlight current market trends shaping valuation and pricing, looking at how to navigate today’s deal environment effectively.
- Phillip Dubsky, partner, Herbst Kinsky
- Christian Horvath, senior legal counsel, OMV Aktiengesellschaft
- Stefan Führer, acting general counsel, Eunomia
5.20pm – 5.25pm Closing remarks
- Isabel Caine, event content editor, Legal 500
5.25pm – 6.30pm Drinks and canapes
Speakers
Armin Schwabl, partner, CERHA HEMPEL
Armin Schwabl is a regulatory lawyer and partner at CERHA HEMPEL. He advises clients, in particular in the retail, consumer products, life sciences and telecommunications sector, on a broad range of regulatory, compliance and legislative matters. He has a particular focus on supply chain compliance, product regulation and waste/environmental regulation. Armin was educated at the University of Vienna, the Vienna University of Economics and Business and the University of Chicago Law School.
Stephan Klebes, senior legal counsel, Deminor
Stephan Klebes joined Deminor as a senior legal counsel in 2023 and specializes in funding of complex commercial disputes. He has broad experience in litigating and advising on cross-border disputes before international arbitral tribunals and state courts, with a particular focus on general commercial disputes and investment recovery cases. Prior to joining Deminor, he was an associate with specialised litigation law firm Quinn Emmanuel where he represented companies in various types of arbitration proceedings as well as complex investment recovery claims before state courts.
Stephan Klebes studied law and economics at the University of Mannheim (LL.B., First State Examination) and the University of Cape Town, South Africa (LL.M. in Alternative Dispute Resolution). He also obtained a doctorate at the University of Osnabrück at the chair of Prof Dr Mary-Rose McGuire on an arbitration related topic.
Ulrich Kopetzki, acting director for Europe, ICC
Ulrich Kopetzki is an Austrian lawyer with a focus on dispute resolution and international arbitration. In addition to having supervised over 500 arbitrations as counsel at the ICC, he has acted as counsel, administrative secretary and arbitrator under various institutional rules.
Ulrich graduated from the law school of the University of Vienna. Afterwards, he worked in the arbitration department of WilmerHale in London and at the Secretariat of the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris. At the ICC, he served both in the case management team for the German-speaking and Nordic countries and in the Eastern European case management team.
Ulrich is currently acting as the director for Europe and Central Asia for ICC Dispute Resolution Services.
Edmund Schuster, counsel, Baker McKenzie
Edmund Schuster is a counsel in Baker McKenzie’s M&A Department. He also holds a faculty position at LSE Law School and is a Visiting Global Professor of Law in the London Programme of Notre Dame Law School. He has published numerous articles and books on corporate law and takeover regulation. Edmund initially joined the Firm in 2009 as an associate after having served as the office head of the Austrian Takeover Commission.
Edmund Schuster has more than 15 years of experience working on corporate transactions. He provides advice on private and public M&A transactions, cross-border restructurings, complex questions of international corporate law as well as capital markets law.
Claudia Fochtmann-Tischler, partner, Baker McKenzie
Mag. Claudia Fochtmann-Tischler joined the Baker McKenzie Vienna office in 2021. She is a leading member of the Vienna Corporate/M&A Practice Group, where Claudia successfully co-leads all M&A transactions our Firm’s Vienna M&A team advises on. Claudia is a distinguished, experienced and driven M&A lawyer with extensive knowledge in advising and guiding clients in cross-border inbound and outbound mergers and acquisitions, carve-out transactions and complex national and international corporate reorganisations for more than 10 years. From 2011 to 2021 she worked as an associate and then senior associate at one of the largest independent Austrian law firms, where Claudia advised national and international clients in all kinds of corporate matters, corporate reorganizations and mergers and acquisitions with a strong track record in the banking sector. In 2013, she gained valuable experience in the legal department at a listed Austrian company in the textile industry.
Bernard Reviczky, general counsel South-Eastern Europe region, Siemens Energy
Bernard Reviczky holds a Doctor in laws from the University Vienna, a Master of Business Administration from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management and the Austrian Bar Exam. At the moment, he is acting as general counsel of the South-Eastern Europe region at Siemens Energy. He gained his experience from both private practice at international acting law firms and inhouse counseling at international acting stock noted companies. One of his current projects is focusing on ESG topics as global co-lead at Siemens Energy
Anna Katharina Radschek, senior legal counsel, Lincoln Electric
Ernest Jędrzejewski, regional head of legal and compliance East Europe, DS Smith
Anne-Karin Grill, founder and principal, AKG ADVISORY
Anne-Karin specializes in international dispute prevention and resolution. She has a proven track-record as counsel in both commercial and ISDS arbitration settings, acting for both States and private investors. She also has first-hand experience in hybrid ADR process design. As an IMI certified mediation advocate, Anne-Karin accompanies clients in negotiation and solution-generating processes, managing party dynamics and assisting in the formulation of legally sustainable solutions. As a CEDR accredited mediator, she acts as neutral in multi-jurisdictional commercial disputes and is also active in investor-state mediation. Her arbitrator work focuses on multi-jurisdictional commercial disputes.
The Legal 500 (2019-2024) ranks AKG ADVISORY at the very top in Austria, noting that peers and clients count Anne-Karin “among the best arbitration practitioners in Austria” and stressing that she demonstrates “perfect mastery of the Austrian arbitration law and knowledge of all ins and outs of arbitration proceedings.” The publication has previously also identified her as “the go-to mediation specialist” in Austria.
Anne-Karin currently serves as President of the Austrian Arbitration Association (Arb|Aut). She also sits on the Mediation Advisory Board of the Vienna International Arbitral Centre (VIAC) and is a member of the Panel of Conciliators of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). In 2022, the European Commission selected her for its pool of arbitrators for appointment in bilateral disputes under EU trade agreements with third countries. In 2024, Anne-Karin completed her second consecutive term as member of the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). Before pursuing her career as an international dispute resolution professional, Anne-Karin worked in the legal advisory department of the Austrian diplomatic mission to the United Nations (UN) in New York.
Nicole Christ, head of legal, RHI Magnesita
Andreas Schütz, partner, Taylor Wessing
Andreas is a partner in the Vienna IP/IT team of the international law firm Taylor Wessing. He is a recognised expert in unfair competition and IT law, with a strong focus on software contract and distribution law, e- and m-commerce, general terms and conditions, advice in connection with IT projects and years of experience in the areas of data protection and data security (including GDPR).
Philipp Zumbo, partner, Taylor Wessing
Philipp Zumbo is CEE Head of Disputes & investigations at Taylor Wessing. He is known for his extensive experience with complex proceedings. Amongst others, he represents clients against their shareholders or enforces shareholder rights and also specialises in consumer law and product liability. Most recently, he has put a focus on litigation linked to cybersecurity incidents.
Carina Kloibhofer, head of AT data privacy security management, Erste Group Bank AG
Carina Kloibhofer focuses on an interdisciplinary approach by ensuring that evolving risks and threats connected to the regulatory and compliance requirements in privacy and cyber security are met. This is also represented by her two master’s degrees in IT security and Business Process Management. She started her career as a researcher in cyber security, followed by transferring her knowledge in the financial sector as an information security officer with a strong focus on privacy and security awareness. At the moment, Carina is responsible for data privacy and security management at Erste Bank, where the team acts as an interface of cyber security and privacy.
Georg Jeitler, head of advisory, Grant Thornton Austria
Georg H. Jeitler is a partner and head of the entire Advisory division and the Forensic Services subdivision of the auditing and consulting firm Grant Thornton Austria. For more than 20 years, he has been advising companies on national and international projects, in particular on strategic issues, compliance optimisation and anti-fraud measures. As Head of Forensic Services, he supports companies in the investigation of complex white-collar crime, internal investigations, and the management of cyber incidents. His multi-disciplinary team supports both private clients and the judiciary with expertise in digital forensics, open-source intelligence and economic analysis. In addition to his work at Grant Thornton, Georg is a lecturer at several universities and Vice President of the Austrian Association of Court Experts, Regional Association for Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland.
Giovanna Bevilacqua, legal and compliance counsel, Doka
Giovanna is a seasoned lawyer specialising in corporate law, M&A, and regulatory compliance. As in-house counsel for the Umdasch Group, she leads M&A projects, among others, providing strategic legal guidance and managing risks in global transactions. Previously practicing at international law firms in Brussels, she brings deep expertise in antitrust and competition law. She holds an LL.M. in Competition & European Law (IEE-ULB) and an MBA Essentials (LSE).
Phillip Dubsky, partner, Herbst Kinsky
Peter Lohberger, head of legal department, Wiener Wohnen Hausbetreuung
Peter Lohberger is a recognised expert in IT and data protection law. He has several years of professional experience in an international law firm. He also worked in leading legal positions in big corporations for many years.
Currently, Peter is the head of the legal department (including compliance and insurance) at Wiener Wohnen Hausbetreuung GmbH, arbitrator at the Vienna International Arbitral Center, self-employment data protection officer and founder of a whistleblower platform.
Christian Horvath, senior legal counsel, OMV Aktiengesellschaft
Christian joined OMV in September 2022 as senior legal counsel M&A. There he deals with complex, cross-border and multi-jurisdictional M&A transactions across the whole value chain of an integrated energy and chemicals company. He provides legal advice on all aspects of such transactions, from contract drafting and negotiations and deal structuring, to DD, risk mitigation, and corporate restructurings.
Before joining OMV, Christian gathered experience in a global pharmaceutical company, one of the leading Austrian law firms, and as legal counsel in Uni Credit. More recently, he acted as senior legal counsel in a German scale-up, which became the fastest profitable Unicorn (valuation of €1bn) in Europe, and where he was part of the Legal Leadership Team dealing with international M&A deals, as well as complex financing transactions, including negotiating a multi-hundred-million dollar syndicated loan facility.
Christian studied law in Vienna and he holds an Executive MBA from California Lutheran University.
Stefan Führer, acting general counsel, Eunomia
As part of his legal practice as an attorney-at-law, Stefan provides comprehensive legal advice and representation for a leading international industrial group as acting general counsel. There Stefan focuses on contract drafting, deal negotiations, M&A transactions, restructurings – in close cooperation with the legal department (‘legal as a service’). Working for an established building materials producer, but also his previous position in investment banking, helped him to develop a profound understanding of the legal challenges faced by (industrial) companies and in-house teams.
Isabel Caine, event content editor, Legal 500
In association with...
For many years, Baker McKenzie Vienna has been one of the leading law firms in Austria. Our lawyers work on some of the most significant matters in the country. No matter how unique the work, or how international the projects, we claim to be ‘one idea smarter’ in advising our clients.
In an increasingly complex world, one thing counts most in legal matters: innovative ideas. Developing such ideas for our clients is what drives us. We are a young, fresh team on the ground, backed by a large international network. We are constantly exchanging ideas with colleagues, both locally and worldwide. And we have a sharp eye for new developments. For what happens in London, New York or Beijing means gaining expertise and being ahead of the curve for the benefit of all our clients – in Austria and all over the world.
CERHA HEMPEL is one of the leading corporate law firms in Central and Eastern Europe with its headquarters in Vienna. With a team of over 200 lawyers, the firm guarantees its clients experience and expertise in all areas of corporate and commercial law, both in Austria and Central and Eastern Europe.
CERHA HEMPEL is proud to be able to look back on a very successful history. Over the past 25 years, CERHA HEMPEL has been involved in a large number of the most significant transactions in Austria. The fact that the firm understands its clients’ businesses has helped CERHA HEMPEL achieve a high rate of success. It is no coincidence that CERHA HEMPEL is the first port of call for a number of long-term clients whom the firm advises comprehensively on all of their day-to-day legal matters. This expertise – combined with the firm’s years of experience in Central and Eastern Europe and its Lex Mundi network – ensures that its clients receive high-quality and sound advice, across disciplines and across borders.
Deminor is a leading international litigation funder with offices in Brussels, London, Hamburg, New York, Hong Kong, Madrid, Milan, Stockholm, and Luxembourg. Deminor’s name, derived from the French ‘défense des minoritaires’, reflects its origins in providing services to minority shareholders. Deminor is still very much defined by the pursuit of good causes and its determination to restore justice for clients. Deminor has also been a leading force in numerous high-profile securities actions, including the Fortis case, which produced a record settlement of €1.3bn for investors in Europe. Combining skill sets from 19 different nationalities and 22 languages, Deminor has funded cases in 23 jurisdictions.
Herbst Kinsky attorneys at law is a renowned Austrian business law firm with its offices in Vienna and Linz. We specialize in matters that require extensive experience, a high level of sophistication and individual attention by our partners. Our firm with more than 35 lawyers consistently ranks at or near the top of the market in each of our core practice areas.
Taylor Wessing is a global law firm that serves the world’s most innovative people and businesses. Deeply embedded within our sectors, we work closely together with our clients to crack complex problems, enabling ideas and aspirations to thrive. Together we challenge expectation and create extraordinary results. Our 29 offices around the world are not token presences – they blend the best of local business, industry and cultural knowledge with international experience to provide astutely commercial solutions for our clients.
Established in 1986, our highly ranked Vienna office is centrally located on “Schwarzenbergplatz”, between the cultural and historical neighbourhoods of “Ringstrasse” and the famous Belvedere – a favoured spot for multinational corporations and their European headquarters. With an extensive number of lawyers based in Vienna, we combine international experience and familiarity with local culture and business practices.