What particular industry trends are you seeing in the legal sector in Luxembourg? 

Lawyers are an important part of Luxembourg’s financial funds industry, advising clients on various fund structures and their implementation. I see an increasing popularity in alternative investment funds and securitisation structures in the market and the importance of monitoring sustainability and ESG compliance. In 2016, the Luxembourg Stock Exchange launched the Green Exchange, which is a platform for such green, social, and sustainable securities which become a competitive factor to attract investors. 

The legal sector must deal with increasing client requirements and demands for full service and advice while keeping track of the increasingly complex structures of new laws and regulations. Being flexible to meet complex demands of clients is core. Additionally, the permanent growth of companies and company mergers, in which the synergy effect of the legal departments shall be utilised in a smart way to save costs, for example, while the relevant regulatory requirements which apply to the different entities can provide for difficulties. 

What is a cause, business related or otherwise, that you care about, and why? 

Over the last years, we seem to have made progress on equality and equal treatment, but we are still a long way from where we should be. It is important to engage with young colleagues, show them options in their careers and encourage them to follow the path they wish to go. As a role model, I want to support young women in achieving their goals and to fulfil their professional and personal dreams. 

I would like to quote Ms Becker from the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. She is a very impressive and important woman in Luxembourg who stated that “In Europe only 18% of executive directors are female and 27% of financial institutions still lack a mandatory diversity policy.” This clearly needs a lot of improvement.