About

Lindt & Sprüngli, a world-leading chocolate and confectionary company, has a small but very efficient legal team that don’t just provide legal advice but also strategic support with high impact on the business’ operations. Their outstanding aptitude is displayed through their ability to provide legal support to a continuously growing company with over 13,000 employees and almost CHF 4bn turnover with only five lawyers. The team is led by group general counsel, Jennier Picenoni, featured as one of the leading individual Swiss GCs in the GC Powerlist 2015 Switzerland. Picenoni believes that the size of the team creates a very personal group that merges well together: ‘All team players are key to the business and each one brings in experiences in the different fields’. One of the team’s top achievements in recent times includes the acquisition of Russell Stover Candies, a deal co-led by the legal team and the group’s chief financial officer. The team has worked itself into the position of great importance within Lindt & Sprüngli, bringing to the business diverse knowledge and a set of defined values, mission and strategy. The team is now such a key part of the company it has been able to bring down certain costs. The team has a fully insourced intellectual property portfolio management, and built up strong network of external counsel that has been centralised for better cost and matter management.