How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?  

At Schindler, business and legal strategy go hand-in-hand. We define our strategic legal goals based on the overall group strategy and the identified risks and opportunities. Team and individual goals, as well as implementation measures, are then determined in view of the greater strategic goals. This ensures strategic and operational alignment throughout the organisation. 

Whether we operate in a crisis or not, our goal is to make efficient use of the available resources and deliver sustainable solutions in the best interest of Schindler and our stakeholders. In times of increased volatility, we focus even more on counterbalancing operational speed and flexibility with organisational resilience and stability. Sound decision makers and their teams keep their focus in the eye of the storm. Through close relationships between leaders across different business functions, we can rapidly analyse complex matters, accelerate processes and find good solutions. Fostering a team spirit that allows people to speak up and trust each other is the basis of good decision making. Listening to the best arguments (regardless of the seniority of the contributor) is key. That said, problems must not be debated to death. In our team, we apply the principle of “disagree and commit”: Once a decision has been adopted, execution discipline – including proper project management – is crucial. 

Moreover, despite technology-driven innovation, the human factor is still what matters most: Crises can only be overcome by motivated and resilient team members. While extra efforts may be required for a limited time, it would not be sustainable to expect our team members to prioritise their work over their families, their health, and their well-being in the long run. We need to be aware that there is a world beyond work. We need to respect and treat each other as the complex human beings that we are. 

And lastly, no crisis should be allowed to ruin a good sense of humor. 

Can you discuss a particularly challenging dispute or M&A scenario you encountered and the innovative strategies you implemented to address it?  

Being ultimately responsible for the legal side of Schindler’s global M&A projects, I regularly encounter difficult situations during negotiations. It would be hyperbolism to claim that those can always be overcome through implementing innovative strategies. What is probably more important than innovative strategies is: (a) a structured approach to negotiations; (b) clarity on what you want to achieve in a negotiation; and (c) a genuine interest in the concern of the counterparty. Often, you can find value and creative solutions through transparently sharing the concerns (instead of simply dwelling on some legal language).